Quick Answer: Slack presence is a communication tool, not a trust indicator. High-functioning remote teams focus on outcomes and response expectations, not green dots. Presence anxiety hurts productivity and signals deeper trust issues.

For presence during actual work hours, see Idle Pilot or start free.

Slack Presence and Team Trust

The Trust Problem

When managers watch green dots instead of deliverables, something is broken. It’s not Slack. It’s trust.

Presence monitoring feels like supervision because it is. And it doesn’t work. High performers resent it. Low performers game it. Everyone loses.

What Presence Actually Tells You

The green dot means exactly one thing: someone interacted with Slack recently.

It doesn’t mean:

• They’re working
• They’re productive
• They’re at their desk
• They’re available immediately

It means they clicked or typed in Slack within the last ~10 minutes.

The Productivity Paradox

Slack presence inversely correlates with deep work.

The people most “active” on Slack might be:

• Procrastinating in channels
• Over-communicating instead of doing
• Interrupting their own focus

The people frequently “away” might be:

• Deep in focused work
• On customer calls
• Actually delivering results

Watching presence optimizes for the wrong thing.

Why Teams Fall Into the Trap

Remote work created a visibility gap. In offices, managers could see who was at their desk. Remote work removed that signal.

Slack presence became a proxy for physical presence. But it’s a poor proxy:

• It measures the wrong thing (Slack activity, not work)
• It creates anxiety that hurts performance
• It signals distrust that damages relationships

What High-Trust Teams Do Instead

1. Define Expected Outcomes

Clear deliverables with deadlines. Did the work get done on time and well? That’s what matters.

2. Set Response Time Expectations

“Respond to direct messages within 2 hours during work hours” is clearer and healthier than “be green.”

3. Trust Default, Verify If Needed

Assume people are working. Address performance issues directly with specific feedback, not surveillance.

4. Normalize Focus Time

Away status during deep work is good. Teams should celebrate focus, not penalize it.

5. Judge Async Fairly

In async communication, response time matters more than presence. Someone “away” who responds in an hour is better than someone “active” who doesn’t respond.

The Cost of Presence Anxiety

When workers feel watched:

• Interrupted focus: Checking Slack every few minutes “just in case”
• Performative activity: Scrolling Slack to stay green instead of doing real work
• Resentment: Feeling distrusted despite good performance
• Tool adoption: Mouse jigglers and presence tools to avoid false “away”

None of this improves actual work. It just shifts energy toward appearing busy.

When Presence Tools Make Sense

Presence scheduling isn’t about deception. It’s about:

1. Accurate signals: Staying green during actual work hours even when Slack’s detection fails
2. Reducing anxiety: Not worrying about being marked away during focus time
3. Consistent availability: Teammates knowing when to expect responsiveness

Used this way, presence tools solve a technical problem, not a trust problem.

If You’re a Manager

Ask yourself:

• Do I care about presence or about work getting done?
• Am I addressing performance issues directly or watching dots?
• Have I created clear expectations that don’t require surveillance?

If presence monitoring feels necessary, the real issue is probably unclear expectations or specific performance concerns that should be addressed directly.

FAQ

Does Slack presence indicate productivity?

No. Presence only shows recent Slack interaction. Someone can be highly productive while showing away (focused work) or completely unproductive while showing green (scrolling channels). It measures the wrong thing.

How do healthy remote teams handle presence?

They focus on outcomes and response time expectations rather than presence status. Presence is treated as a communication signal (“I’m available to chat”) not a performance metric (“I’m working”). Focus time away is normalized.

Should managers monitor Slack presence?

Monitoring presence as a proxy for work indicates a trust problem that surveillance won’t solve. Better approaches: clear deliverables, response time expectations, and direct feedback on actual performance issues.

For more on team norms, see Slack Presence Norms or For Managers.