(To address that, the company introduced a do-not-disturb mode in 2015 that suppresses notifications on command, or during a specified span of nighttime hours.) This not only pressures workers into being ready to reply at a moment’s notice during working hours, but thanks to smartphone notifications, also helps work trespass into the home. Since Slack is an instant-messaging platform, a response is usually expected relatively instantly.

What’s meant as a courtesy could easily spin out of control.Īnyone can grab another person’s digital attention via direct message on the app, or just by invoking them by name in a channel. A quick scan down Slack’s sidebar reveals who’s away from their computer: A gray outline replaces the usual green circle by people’s names after they’ve been inactive for 30 minutes. Now, more than four million daily users on Slack wear their status on their sleeves. Before, if a check-in email from a supervisor rattled an employee’s phone, they might have a short grace period in which to reply and seem plugged in. When instant-messaging systems like Slack and HipChat began carving away at email’s supremacy in the workplace, they brought with them new ways for bosses to check up on their workers.

If that expectation does arise, however, the added convenience could bring with it a new burden for Slack-bound employees. And unless everyone in a group is expected to regularly update their work status, a name without a status emoji could signal anything. When people choose wacky emojis, it scrambles the meaning of the status-update system. The company chose straightforward emoji for its five default statuses: in a meeting ( ), commuting ( ), out sick ( ), vacationing ( ), and working remotely ( ). For a feature like this to work as Slack apparently intended, it requires wide buy-in.

Slack status update