Slack Etiquette & Best Practices

SLACK ETIQUETTE: BE ORGANIZED & BE MINDFUL

1. Channels

Help keep Slack organized and easy to digest. Channels are public and can be searched by Full-access users so make sure that your channels are named as descriptive as possible.

So, you want your channel to be Private? Private channels require an ‘admin’ to be a member of the channel and require extra layers of administrative support. They can be labor intensive and inefficient. Unless the following criteria apply, all channels should be public.

1. Pii (Personal Identifiable Information) is any data that could potentially identify a specific individual. Examples include a full name, Social Security number, driver's license number, bank account number, passport number, and email address

2. Credit card information

3. Legal, Accounting, HR, Contractual topics

2. Use Direct Messages or Group Direct Messages vs. Creating a Channel

Direct messages (DMs) are one-to-one conversations between you and another workspace member. Group direct messages (group DMs) are smaller discussions, outside of channels, between you and up to eight other members. DMs work well for one-off private conversations that don't require an entire channel to weigh in.

2. Mind the Channel’s Purpose

Each channel should have a stated purpose. This is the reason it exists, and it defines the type of information that should be shared in the channel. It is okay to go off-topic sometimes—a Stranger Things reference in a project channel can be light-hearted and funny. But if the discussion turns to plots and theories, that means it is time to move it over to the #netflixandshows channel!

3. Don’t Bloat the Channel

The purpose of maintaining specific channels is to make information easy to find, and to help keep the conversations within easy to follow. However, information can still get lost within a channel. Because conversations can become very lengthy, with a lot of back and forth between team members, you might find yourself scrolling for the information you need—which can be very frustrating if you’re in a time crunch.

If you have a lot of information to share, try placing it in a Post instead LINK TO POST INFO. Slack imposes a character limit for a reason, and it can feel overwhelming to see a very long message in Slack. Posts are also easy to Pin for future reference.

4. Use Threads

Use threading for messages and documents. You can use these to help organize conversations and declutter a channel. Consider using a thread when answering questions so that the channel stays clean, and the information is easy to find and respond to.

5. Slack isn’t a Vault

Slack is a communication tool, NOT a project management we suggested earlier, we don’t want to bloat the channel, but even with a concise channel it can still be easy to lose documents or end up downloading the wrong version of a file. It can be stressful to search through Slack for that one document you need.

Instead of relying on Slack as a file repository, store files in our collaborative tools like Google Drive, and reference the documents in Slack. This will help keep you organized, and also keep Slack from getting bloated.

6. Don’t Slack Badger

While no one likes to see giant messages in Slack, it is also important not to “Slack Badger”. Slack Badgering is when you send a multitude of short messages in a row that don’t convey any information.

For example, poking an unresponsive teammate can quickly turn into Slack Badgering:

Hey! (1 sec ago)

You there? (1 sec ago)

Busy? (1 sec ago)

Chances are, Slack will notify that person with a private notification for each and every message you send. Remember, your team members have deliverables and meetings. They may be busy and trying to focus. Try to send only one message.

Example:

Hey, I’m looking for this file, and was wondering if you knew where it was? Let’s chat when you’re free.

7. Use Mentions Mindfully

Slack will notify someone every time you mention them (or when you mention @Channel). Before you mention someone, make sure that you want that person to act on something, and make it clear what that is.

For example, when someone asks whether a task is being worked on, you might respond with:

Don’t worry, @Steve is on it, and we already met to discuss.

There are a couple of ways to improve this response. First, if you’re going to mention anyone, it should probably be the person asking the question. Second, every person mentioned will get a notification, but Steve—who is “already on it”—probably doesn’t need to be informed again. It isn’t respectful to pull them into a conversation for no reason.

Additionally, only @Channel if everyone needs to know! Otherwise, consider using @Here, which will only notify everyone in the channel who is currently online.

Generally speaking, try to limit notifications that don’t require a response. If you are using a mention, be aware of what action you want the recipient to take.

8. Be Transparent in Your Profile

As we grow, so does our user base and it becomes increasingly difficult to know who is who, especially with our culture of Playa names as usernames. Fill out your Slack Profile completely. Include your real name and title so that when someone who doesn’t know who @gadget or @hotdog is they can look them up.

When you join a channel, be sure to introduce yourself if you are new to the group. For managers, when new staff are added to Slack channels (especially OfficeNews) please be sure to time your add with a public intro to the channel so that all know who the new name is and why they are there / where they are coming from.

SLACK ETIQUETTE: RESPECT YOUR TEAM & BE MINDFUL

1. Acknowledge Messages and Requests

We get it: you’re busy! You get a notification on Slack, and you decide to use the Reminder feature to review in a few hours. Now it’s out of your mind until then. But the person who is requesting the work doesn’t know you’re planning to review it later.

Instead of snoozing on the message and making the sender feel ignored, it’s good practice to tell them you’ve read the message and let them know when you’ll be addressing it. Even if you don’t know the answer, a simple “I’m not sure, but I’ll look into it after my meeting” is likely all that they need. They want to feel heard, and to know their ask won’t be forgotten.

If you are a person of few words, or are extremely busy, another option is to use the ✅or reaction. This will let them know you’ve read their message. It isn’t quite as nice as identifying a time frame to respond, but at least they know you are not ignoring them.

2. Use Statuses

Slack has introduced the use of a Status feature that allows you to insert a message and add an emoji beside your name to let your team know what you’re up to. Not sure how to use your statuses? If you’re on your way to work, throw on “🚎Commuting”. That way, if you’re late, people will know you didn’t just sleep in. You can also use them when stepping out for lunch, jumping on a client call or when you’re in a meeting. When you use your statuses like this, it lets your team members know WHY you’re not responding.

The use of statuses can be especially helpful if you have a distributed team working across more than one geographic location.

Using statuses is a good way to let everyone know what you’re currently working on, and is a great way to maintain transparency in the office. Even if you’re going to be off-site all day, but are still working, it’s helpful for the team to know where you’re at.

3. Use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ Feature when Trying to Complete Deep Work

When you need to stay focused, we suggest using the Snooze function. Sometimes you gotta do some Deep Work; work that requires concentration, no distractions and some serious time to focus! And the last thing you want while working on this deep work is to be pulled out of the zone by non-urgent Slack messages. Slack includes a Do Not Disturb feature that is active by default. But you can turn this on at any time. You can even snooze your notifications for 20 minutes or an hour while you’re getting some work done.

When you use the Snooze Notifications feature on Slack, you can also use a status like “⏰ Working on a Deadline” so people understand WHY you’re ignoring them.

Please note that people can choose to push a notification to you while on Do Not Disturb in case it is urgent.

4. Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately

Constructive criticism and feedback in the office is important. It helps with the growth of your team and bettering the work. But it’s just as important to handle this delicately. A public forum isn’t really the right place for this.

Never criticize someone in a public Slack channel! It’s not just poor Slack Etiquette; public criticism can be disrespectful offline, as well. Feedback and criticism should be done one-on-one. This can be in a private message, over a call, or face-to-face.

Criticizing or giving someone negative feedback in public can feel demeaning. Some people can feel very embarrassed if they’re criticized in a public forum, no matter how good-hearted it was intended to be. It doesn’t just affect that person’s morale; it can also affect the team’s morale to see a team member called out publicly.

On the flip side of this, share the praise publicly! Appreciations are an integral part of our culture and Slack is a great place to express gratitude. Sometimes a project only requires a small team of 1-2 people, and it’s hard for the rest of the office to appreciate their work when they are not directly involved. So when you are able to share a team member’s success with a wider group, they know they’re appreciated!

5. Know when to Communicate In-Person or Over a Video Call

Slack isn’t ideal for every conversation. A simple rule to help determine whether something should be communicated over Slack is this:

If a quick and short response is needed, slack can be super helpful.

If you want to ask several people for their top level take / opinion on something, Slack may work well.

If a topic is nuanced and/or super sensitive, connect by phone, zoom,or in person.

If you need ‘formal tracking’ on a topic (often the case for Legal and People Operations), email is your best bet.

No matter how you communicate with your team, be sure you are communicating mindfully and with empathy!

MANAGING YOUR SLACK NOTIFICATIONS

As with any form of written communication, it is easy to be misunderstood on Slack. It’s easy to apply a tone to a message when reading that the writer didn’t necessarily intend. It is always good to have a customary code of behavior.

1. Managing Notifications

Slack notifications keep you informed about things that need your attention. They can also become an unhelpful distraction. But you have control over how/when/if you receive notifications. Learn how notifications work on both desktop and mobile and how to customize them to suit your needs.

https://slack.com/help/categories/360000047906.

2. Reducing off-hours pings with Do Not Disturb

Use the Do Not Disturb (DND) feature to mark your outside-of-work hours. Make sure everyone on your team knows about the feature, and make it clear if after-hours requests can wait until the next day.

You can also use DND to carve out focus time during your workday. Click the bell icon atop your channel menu and select a time. Your status in Slack will then communicate to colleagues that you’re heads-down working and they shouldn’t expect an immediate response.

References:

https://slack.com/help/categories/360000047906 - Notification at the bottom but lots of other great resources.

https://artscience.ca/slack-etiquette-part-1-organize-be-mindful/

https://artscience.ca/slack-etiquette-part-2-respect-your-team-and-be-mindful/

https://hiverhq.com/blog/slack-etiquette/

https://slackhq.com/etiquette-tips-in-slack

https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/212281468-Send-direct-messages