Between endless chats, video calls, and meme-filled threads, the modern workplace is a whirlwind of collaboration and chaos. With employees spending dozens of hours weekly tangled in digital conversations, critical files and urgent updates often drown in a sea of notifications. But what if you could harness this chatter and stay organized? Enter file management, a game-changer hidden in your communication app that can rescue order from the noise.

This month, The Productivity Box explores the hidden superpower of smart file management in your business communication app. We investigate why it is your secret weapon against digital disarray and how it can streamline your team collaboration. Finally we uncover how organizing your workplace’s endless chatter into actionable insights can keep collaboration thriving while slashing wasted time. Let’s dive in.

Framing file management into the productivity picture

Ping! That’s the sound of another chat coming through your communications app. You spot a crucial document in the team topic, only to lose it seconds later under a wave of emojis and meme replies. Truth is, workplace communications tools are filled with endless chatter throughout the day.

In fact, most people spending several hours each week talking to their coworkers. According to a report by Forbes Advisor, a staggering 40 percent of employees say they spend more than 20 hours per week using digital communication tools. However, it’s easy for documents, files or important messages to get lost in all that back and forth.

This is where a knowledge hub comes in, helping you encourage conversation while also staying organized. Through smart file management, such a knowledge hub turns team experience into searchable knowledge.

Use a communication app with smart file management

The answer is simple. Because a smart file management built in your team’s communication app will help you work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. Let’s delve into some of its benefits.

Document loss impacts productivity

Many managers are worried that employee chatter is hurting productivity. There might be underlying causes that could limit how much meaningful work your team gets done throughout the day. According to a report by Elastic, 54 percent of office professionals say they spend more time searching for documents than responding to emails and messages.

Teams need to wait to acquire various files and spreadsheets before they can move forward. These lost documents slow down projects and disrupt workflows, according to the same report. In fact, the average team loses 236 hours of productivity each year from duplicate work created because of lost or missing documents.

It is possible for your team to still share puppy gifs and personal updates without sacrificing team productivity. This is made possible by organizing important documents in a knowledge hub. Such a smart file management helps everybody focus on just doing their job. The result is easy to grasp: better time management and improved individual work performance.

Employee onboarding is easier

There are two types of onboarding that employees need to go through. First, there is the relevant job training related to work tasks. Secondly, there is the administrative training related to how the company works. This latter covers topics like how to submit a PTO request and where to find relevant files when working on a project.

In Hubgets for example, onboarding new employees is greatly sped up. When new teammates join the company’s communication flow, they are also added to the relevant topics. There, they have access to all previously available information and exchanged files. They can also search the topic for relevant information and specific files.

This cuts down on time spent asking peers or managers for documents. The onboarding process is therefore optimized and so are the results. Because new hires can faster start doing their tasks and spend less time fishing around. As a result, your company will cut down onboarding costs, manage its resources better, and improve overall team productivity.

And if you think beyond work performance, such an approach also positions your company as effective and organized to new hires. It reassures them they made the right choice in accepting your job offer. Their onboarding experience is pleasant, not gruesome, which fosters engagement and reinforces their commitment to the company.

Your documents and files are secure

Cyber threats and data breaches are some of the biggest concerns for companies across the globe. According to an IBM report, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. Additionally, 51 percent of companies plan to increase their security investments because of a data breach.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep confidential business data safe. Having a designated place where your team exchanges any type of documents and files is what you should be targeting. And your knowledge hub can serve more such purposes.

Your files will be stored in a secure system that only your employees can gain access to. This is one of many protections against cybercriminals.

From a productivity perspective, the ability to track files offers three key advantages:

• Fast, organized access to files
• Reduced time spent searching for documents
• Elimination of misplaced file hunting

These features cut delays in decision-making and task completion improving individual work performance and boosting team productivity.

Prevent digital hoarding

Digital hoarding occurs when people never delete emails, remove files, or close tabs. Unfortunately, while digital hoarding seems harmless, it can cause stress and anxiety. People who have thousands of emails and countless files on their computers are usually impacted.

According to a digital habits survey, only 52 percent of people delete emails regularly. Additionally, more than 20 percent of Americans have more than 100 items on their desktops.

Not only can digital hoarding cause stress and impact mental health, but it also makes it harder for your employees to find things. Furthermore, it can clog server space and slow down computers. And this translates into delayed work pace. All these issues negatively influence efficiency, time management, and ultimately work performance.

A knowledge hub with smart file management can prevent digital hoarding because important information is stored in a group setting, rather than with specific employees. Additionally, the ability to have access to a file sent by employees who left the company is also worth mentioning.

Let Hubgets help

By addressing digital hoarding and securing files, teams can unlock the full potential of smart file management. Let’s explore how tools like Hubgets make this possible.

 

Hubgets has a built-in Knowledge Hub that includes a smart file management system for easy access to any kind of files. Teams can exchange documents, archives, videos, and even audio files. And such a small change to how teams communicate can improve overall productivity, boost security, and streamline your operations.

Look at your current communication apps and evaluate whether they can be used as a knowledge hub where files can be easily exchanged and found. If your current tool doesn’t meet your needs, look into Hubgets.

Smart file management as a productivity hack

Smart file management in team communication apps is one of the unsung heroes of workplace productivity. By organizing documents, providing access to these files historically, and reducing search time, it cuts through digital clutter. Such an approach ensures teams focus on progress, not paperwork.

A smart file management doesn’t just save time, it drives outcomes. When employees know where to find the document and files they need, they work faster and smarter. The result? Teams thrive in a secure, stress-free environment where collaboration and productivity go hand in hand. The Knowledge Hub built in Hubgets proves that small changes yield massive results.

What are you doing to enable your team’s productivity? Every minute saved is a step toward a more productive, collaborative future, so start optimizing your workflows today.