When we use collaboration tools, we quickly get used to seeing our coworkers online. If their status isn’t green, we often recall they’re on holiday or attending an external meeting.

What’s meant to be just an informational feature—since such tools are supposed to enable asynchronous communication—becomes something more. It can morph into a way to compare yourself to coworkers or allow managers to feel they’re monitoring your presence, especially when working from home. It’s no longer just a green dot; it becomes a symbol of visibility.

Over time, these status indicators can feel like constraints. You might feel compelled to stay "green" even when it’s unnecessary, altering your behavior to meet expectations. For example, imagine someone pretending to work during their train commute. Their laptop session is open, new message notifications chime now and then, giving the illusion of engagement. But the reality? That same worker is peacefully sleeping, taking advantage of a rare moment of freedom.

And there lies the absurdity of the situation: these tools weren’t designed to foster a need to constantly appear active or to cater to a manager’s fixation on a glowing green dot next to your name. Instead, they were meant to empower teams with flexibility, autonomy, and true productivity.