1 week Ago
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Happy New Year. I’m looking forward to another year of digging into the trends affecting you at work (and in life) and sharing solutions to some of your biggest challenges in 2025. Here’s one you might already be facing as you head back to work after the holidays: ping fatigue.
Ping fatigue is the exhaustion you feel from being constantly inundated with work-related notifications, whether that be e-mail, Slack, Teams, texts, social media, WhatsApp or even project management tools. Research shows every time you are interpreted or distracted with something such as a Slack notification, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on track. This suggests it is the post-distraction time that is the real issue leading us to be less productive and more stressed as the number of notifications we receive skyrocket.
These distractions have increased as companies embrace remote and hybrid work. In one example , brokerage TD Ameritrade reported a 60-per-cent increase in Slack messages and a 30-per-cent rise in public channel readership as they adapted to remote work environments. “This sort of frustration kind of builds, because your attention is being stolen and divided, and it’s harder to get work done, and that’s where people end up overworking,” says Ontario-based hybrid work consultant Nola Simon.
However, ping fatigue isn’t just an employee issue, it’s a company-wide problem that Ms. Simon says companies play a critical role in addressing for the sake of productivity and employee happiness. “You want to look at how information is being shared, how decisions are made and what technology you’re bringing into your company,” she says.
Before introducing a new tool or app, companies should carefully assess how it will affect day-to-day operations. Will it genuinely solve a problem or will it inadvertently add more digital noise to an already saturated workspace while only slightly improving something such as communication? Ms. Simon also says that ping fatigue often reflects deeper cultural norms within a company.
Leaders should ask themselves questions such as: How are we defining how work gets done? How is information shared across the company? Are employees easily able to access the knowledge they need to do their jobs? Clear communication around expectations can help mitigate ping fatigue. For example, companies can set guidelines around response times for emails and instant messages, giving employees the clarity they need to prioritize tasks. Employers might also consider adjusting permission settings in communication apps, empowering employees to silence unnecessary notifications or customize alerts to suit their workflow.
However, when company-level changes are slow to roll out, Ms. Simon says employees can take control of their own habits. “Individuals have to look at their own habits and how they use technology so they can guide people on how best to communicate with them,” she says.
In addition to tailoring their notification settings, employees can block off calendar time for deep, focused work, or use productivity tools like Pomodoro timers to break their tasks into manageable sprints. You can also try to decrease focus-breaking habits by setting specific times to check e-mail, rather than reacting to every notification in real-time. For employees who serve as information hubs, documenting frequently requested knowledge or automating repetitive tasks can also help reduce the number of interruptions.
Ultimately, technology itself isn’t the enemy – it’s how we use it. “It’s about learning how to use technology so that it helps you manage your energy throughout the day. That’s going to help with your workload and your happiness,” says Ms.
Simon. By taking thoughtful steps, both employers and employees can strike a healthier balance with technology, turning pings into productivity rather than stress. 92 per cent That’s how many Canadian workers said they are concerned about inflation outpacing salary growth, according to a recent report by recruiting firm Robert Half Canada Inc.
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It gave me access to better insights and greater skill building, which helped me develop better ideas. It helped me overcome natural biases, be more analytical and more creative, and get better at spotting opportunities and solving problems. It helped me take smarter action,” writes David Novak, the retired chief executive officer of Yum! Brands, in How Leaders Learn , written with editor Lari Bishop.
Here, based on Mr. Novak’s book, Harvey Schachter summarizes the three essential building blocks of active learning that could be crucial to creating and maintaining a successful career in 2025 and beyond. Read more A new report challenges the idea that people need to sacrifice a healthy work-life balance to rake in a competitive salary.
According to the data, jobs like water resource specialist, mathematician and geographer rank in the top 10 for being the highest paying jobs with the lowest stress. Read more.
