Taming the Ping: How Managing Teams Notifications Supports Wellbeing
An article in today’s NZ Herald highlights a sobering reality: over half of New Zealand adults feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of notifications on their phones. This digital fatigue doesn’t just sap productivity — it chips away at our mental wellbeing, focus, and sense of control.
In the modern workplace, where Microsoft Teams is a cornerstone of communication, this issue becomes even more pressing. Constant pings, pop-ups, and badges can create a low-level hum of stress throughout the workday. While Teams is a powerful tool for collaboration, it’s not immune to becoming part of the problem — unless we manage it proactively.
The Hidden Cost of Notification Overload
Research increasingly shows that every interruption — whether it’s a group chat mention, a reply in a thread, or a meeting reminder — can fragment our attention. Over time, this leads to:
- Increased stress and burnout
- Reduced deep focus and creative thinking
- Poorer sleep due to after-hours digital exposure
- A constant sense of being “on”
So how do we keep the benefits of Teams without letting it become another source of overwhelm?
7 Ways to Reclaim Calm in Microsoft Teams
Here are practical ways to reduce notification fatigue in Teams, while still staying connected:
1. Manage Teams Channel Creation
Centralising the provisioning of Microsoft Teams through iWorkplace helps reduce sprawl and notification overload by implementing governance policies, streamlining team creation, and enabling users to manage their notifications effectively.
2. Customise Notifications by Channel
Not every conversation warrants a ping. Right-click on a channel and select Channel Notifications to mute non-essential updates. Prioritise only critical threads.
3. Use “Do Not Disturb” Like a Pro
Set your status to Do Not Disturb during deep work or breaks. Even better, create a schedule under Settings > Privacy to automatically protect your focus hours.
4. Turn Off Email Notifications from Teams
Double notifications? No thanks. Go to Settings > Notifications and disable email alerts for things you're already seeing in Teams.
5. Use Focus Assist (Windows) or Focus Modes (macOS)
Pair Teams with your device’s native focus tools to limit distractions across the board. You can even schedule “Focus Time” with Viva Insights.
6. Use ‘Schedule Message’
The ability to delay chats has been available in Teams for several years. This year Microsoft has introduced this functionality to posts in channels.
As well as being considerate of others, using ‘schedule message’ can ensure that you don’t get unwanted responses out of hours.
7. Encourage a Culture of Considerate Communication
Wellbeing isn’t just personal — it’s cultural. Encourage your team to avoid unnecessary @mentions, keep conversations thread-based, and schedule messages instead of sending them after hours.
A Workplace Wellbeing Opportunity
The link between digital boundaries and wellbeing is clearer than ever. Organisations focused on compliance, high performance, and employee experience should consider notification management a core part of their digital strategy.
iWorkplace and Microsoft 365 offer the tools — but it takes intentional setup, training, and leadership buy-in to truly change the culture. As the digital noise grows louder, the most powerful thing we can do is choose when, and how, we listen.
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