In today's fast-evolving and interconnected business landscape, the quest for optimising productivity has become a pressing concern for organisations. Not a new concept, but one that is catching increased attention in this hyper-connected age is ‘toggle tax’, or the loss of productivity caused by constantly switching between different tools and applications throughout a workday. 

Why are we toggling so much, and why is it bad?

Switching between apps is a waste of time. A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that the average cost of switching apps is slightly over two seconds. Fortune 500 employees toggle between apps around 1,200 times daily, so if you do that math, that winds up costing them about four hours a week, and cumulatively 9% of their work year!  

Employees often find themselves toggling between various platforms for different tasks - from project management and team communication to HR-related activities. This constant switching between applications consumes valuable time and mental energy, leading to reduced focus and productivity. Another study by Qatalog and Cornell University’s Ellis Idea Lab revealed that 45% of the respondents felt that switching between too many tools made them less productive.

And the rise of remote and hybrid work has heightened the movement between even more apps, and more frequently. We spend more time at our desktops, feeding the toggle-beast.

Break free from Toggle Tax with Darwinbox X Microsoft Teams

Committed to creating employee-first experiences, Darwinbox has taken a giant leap toward enhancing workplace productivity by integrating its services into Microsoft Teams, as they explain in this clever video. The Darwinbox X Microsoft integration brings functionalities related to HR and employee management within the collaborative workspace of Microsoft Teams, reducing the need for toggling between applications; or in other words, bringing HR service delivery “within the flow of work” to take a bite out of toggle tax. 

Darwinbox on MS Teams offers a unified workspace for work-related tasks, easing HR procedures, because much of our workday is spent on our company chat application. It helps build a connected workforce by fostering an elevated employee experience. Real-time updates make it possible to acquire crucial information quickly, saving time and resources and reducing mental fatigue for higher levels of productivity.

The way forward

Businesses must grasp how toggle tax negatively affects productivity as the modern workplace evolves. The integration of Darwinbox on Microsoft Teams serves as a compelling solution to reducing the effects of this challenge. Organisations can achieve new levels of productivity, improve collaboration, and create a more engaged and connected workforce by centralising HR activities and necessary work tools within the collaborative workplace that is MS Teams. Embracing such a seamless way of working just might be the key to staying competitive in a dynamic and fast-paced world where time and efficiency are invaluable—and ever-depleting— resources

Interested in conquering toggle tax and elevating productivity? Explore Darwinbox on Microsoft Teams and unleash the power of seamless collaboration. Click here to learn more.