Generally

SELC staff value boundaries for when we are expected to make ourselves available to each other for SELC-related communications. While we have a formal policy creating clear boundaries regarding limits on internal email communications, we’ve realized that it’s helpful to also have guidelines here that further the purposes of that policy.

• To lower the amount of time spent responding to internal emails (and other communications such as Slack and Asana), staff are encouraged to use brevity (ex: 5 sentence policy) as much as possible.
• Staff are also encouraged to limit emails on Fridays to time-sensitive matters to allow other staff space for more focused work on research, writing, study or other long-term projects. Low-communication Fridays also includes limited Daily Tasks updates so that no one feels pressured or judged for not working on Friday :-)
• SELC seeks to avoid using email for most internal communications and use Slack instead. The overarching goal of is to shift as much of our internal communication away from email.

Community Agreements on Technology

These are our requests of each other around checking updates and responding in Asana, Slack, phone, and email. This doesn't change any existing policies, such as primarily using Slack for internal communications, or email for other specific things as we have in the past. Similarly, we'll still continue using Asana as we have.

1. Asana: We ask each other to check deadlines/tasks in Asana for things assigned to you at least once a week.
2. Slack: We ask each other to respond in Slack to things that appear to be requesting a response within 48 hours.
3. Phone: If something is urgent, we ask each other to call or text the coworker you need a reply from.
4. Email: We ask each other to respond to things by the "RR" (response requested) date listed in the subject line.

Email v. Slack

• When to use email
  • To notify all staff about a time-sensitive proposal
  • When you anticipate needing to include people outside of SELC in the conversation
• When to use Slack
  • For all RO/INFO (“response optional”) messages directed to staff
  • For all other internal messages
  • NOTE: For internal messages within a Circle, it is up to the Circle to choose whether to use email or Slack for Circle-related messages.

Labeling Emails

In order to assist your colleagues with time management, it is important to tag your emails with priority levels/descriptions whenever possible. It is also important to stick to the subject line and create new email chains for new topics. You can tag emails by entering the following terms at the beginning of the subject line:

• URGENT: Use when the communication is extremely time sensitive. This tag lets people know to read immediately.
• TIME SENSITIVE: Use when a response is required within 24 hours.
• RR: “Response Requested.” This notifies the recipient that the sender requires your feedback or action in order to advance their work, and that the recipient should read in a timely manner in order not to delay the sender’s work.
• RO: “Response Optional.” This tag indicates that you are invited to give your feedback, but sending a response is not mandatory.
• PROPOSAL: Use this tag when making a time sensitive proposal to staff via email. These emails should be prioritized and addressed in a timely manner. See policy on Internal Policy Proposals for details on the process of passing policy proposals.
• INFO: Use this when your message is just “FYI.” These messages should not be time sensitive and should not require a response.
• PLEASE READ: Indicates that the sender expects recipient to read and internalize the sent information, but does not require a written response. This may be used to announce new or amended policies, for example, or to send out follow-up information or action items after an all-staff meeting.