As a person with a vested interest in online businesses, I’m all for those types of apps which enhance the communication aspects of business, making them more effective and reachable for all.

However, after working with several companies who have begun to regret their decision to take on Slack, I have had to ask myself if such group messaging apps really do enhance communication – or do they instead place more stress on their members?

The Origins of Slack

Slack was initially designed to allow all team members of the same company to communicate with one another, wherever they were based in the world. With a significant emphasis on empowering those remote workers, the idea is on encouraging communication and what the company refers to as real-time conversations.

However, what began as a great way of linking team members, seems to have overstepped the mark with many employees, and indeed companies, now misusing the app and instead going against its very creation.

Slack Is Addictive

Like most apps and social media platforms, Slack has become addictive. Where’s the harm in that I hear you say? Well, the problem starts for many when all team members work to a different time zone, and individual members as of the team feel like they must become connected continuously to keep up!

With so many topics appearing throughout just one day, the increasing amount of stress most users feel under when they check their Slack account can leave them feeling as though they’re out of the loop, frantically searching through past posts to keep up.

Is Slack Effective for Your Team?

Ask yourself this; is slack healthy for you and your team and does it allow all members to focus on the real work and push your projects forward? If not, it may be time to uninstall this app after all!