Slack Etiquette

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Slack is our primary communication tool at [CompanyName]. It's a great tool, but can get pretty noisy if we don’t have some usage conventions and guidelines in place. We are all constantly bombarded with a lot of information, so applying good Slack etiquette can reduce some mental overhead.

This document outlines the conventions we want to follow. They are not necessarily hard rules, but rather highly recommended to make our Slack usage as efficient and considerate as possible for your individual teams, as well as across the broader organisation.

Key Considerations

Reduce noise

• Use threads by default
• Don't @ whole channels unnecessarily
• React with emojis if a full response isn't necessary

Keep communication public

Send messages in the appropriate public channels so everybody has access to the information, unless it is something that needs to be private.

Be considerate

• Think about what and how you communicate
• Let people know when you are not available
• Indicate when you've read a message intended for you

General

• React with an emoji to show that you’ve read a message (e.g. 👍), especially if you don’t have a full response.
• When responding to a message, please reply in the message’s thread, instead of adding a new message in the channel.
• Use direct messages sparingly. Direct messages should be reserved for private conversations or sensitive topics. Try not to use direct messages for general communication.
• Most communication related to a project should be happening in that project’s dedicated Slack channel. If you have a question related to a project, always opt for asking and answering publicly so the rest of the team is also aware of the outcome.
  • This also means that if the person you asked initially is unable to answer, someone else can be tagged in the conversation instead of starting the process again via another DM.
  • Plus now the first person who may not have known the answer, will see it in the public channel instead of having to be communicated with again via DM to feed the information back.
• Avoid using @here or @channel unless you are sure everybody in the channel needs to get notified by the message, which is usually only true for important announcements.
• If you need the attention of a specific person, @ them in the message so they know to look at it. Otherwise it’s easy for the intended recipient to miss the message.
• If you have seen a message that you’re tagged in or that needs your attention but are unable to reply immediately, at least acknowledge and provide some context. For example: “I’ve seen this, just need to wrap up some calls, will respond in an hour.”
• Be mindful of time zones. If you work with colleagues in different time zones, be mindful of the time difference when sending messages or scheduling meetings.
  • TIP: Use Scheduled Send if you want to send a message outside of working hours that doesn’t require a response immediately.
• Remember to always be considerate when communicating on Slack and avoid contentious discussions. These could include things like religion, politics, etc.
• When you are on lunch, please update your status on Slack accordingly. There is a default status already set up, or you can use your own if you prefer.
• If you need to be AFK for a period during the day (e.g. a visit to the doctor or a quick walk in the garden) please notify your team beforehand and update your Slack status accordingly. Set an appropriate emoji/message as well as your expected return time.
• Create new channels as necessary and archive channels that are no longer in use.
  • Project channels should always follow the proj-[client]-[project] format, e.g. proj-acme-stopcoyote
  • Projects can also have specific channels, for example for build notifications. These would follow the same basic format but end with the specific purpose proj-[client]-[project]-[purpose], e.g. proj-acme-stopcoyote-plans
  • Channels for tools should ideally follow the tool-[toolname] format, e.g. tool-coyotecatapult
  • General purpose channels that all be named according to their primary function, e.g. learning, lifestyle, music, showcase, etc
• If you need to have an ongoing conversation with a few people privately, consider making it Private channel instead of a multi-DM. That way, everybody won’t be unnecessarily pinged every time there is a new message. If it’s a short-lived communication, it’s fine to keep as is.
• Slack has a mobile client if you want to stay in touch when you aren’t at your desk. Installing Slack on your phone is not mandatory. Strongly suggest turning off mobile notifications.
• Highly recommend to turn on the Mute all sounds from Slack option in the Settings.

Threads

• The preferred option for all Slack communication is to respond to messages in the message thread - especially as the originator of the question/idea/discussion point.
• This helps reduce the channel noise and prevents others from needing to wade through multiple unrelated message to find what they’re looking for.
• Threads also prevent discussions from getting lost in the middle of other long discussions.
• When using threads, we need to apply a bit of common sense:
  • Do I have an unrelated question to another topic? Start a new thread.
  • Has someone asked a question unrelated to a current discussion? Reply in a thread.
  • Is the answer from deep down a thread something that everybody should know? Surface that to the main chat to ensure visibility.
    • TIP: Use the "Send reply to this channel" action to surface a specific message.
  • Does a specific person need to know about a threaded discussion that they’re not currently active in? @ them in the thread to draw their attention.
  • Threads are not required in DMs, but if you are posting a number of ideas it may be best to break them up into separate messages so that threads could be used to respond in context to each one.
• If you have multiple points that warrant individual and separate discussions, consider posting a separate message for each topic. That way they can all be threaded individually without losing focus.

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