Slack for Remote Teams
By: Good Games
Tags: Best Practices, Slack, Remote Working

Slack is the preferred internal messaging system used by most remote teams. However, not all teams use Slack well. Here are some tips on how to use slack better for your remote team:

Have an internal slack policies and procedures handbook

Yes, handbooks are boring, but when your team gets to be a certain size (we would say around 50 or 75 staff members), it’s vitally important to have a Slack policies and procedures handbook. It doesn’t have to be boring, you can make it fun, well-designed or quirky. But you need to at least get these items across to every team member and every new employee:

How to use Slack, including how to DM, how to upload, how to start a new channel, what’s a private versus public channel, how to mute channels, how to favorite channels, how to turn off notifications

When to use Slack, email, videoconference, phone call, text, project management software, code documentation tools, or other systems to communicate with each other

What is unacceptable behavior on Slack. Something to the tune of “We want to create safe and happy workplaces where all employees thrive. If you wouldn’t say or do something in the workplace in person, then you probably don’t want to do this on Slack. This includes harassment, bullying, NSFW content, etc. “

How and when to @channel, @here, and @username. Some people get very annoyed by frequent @’s and others want to know immediately when something important comes up.

How often employees are expected to check Slack. Of course, some people work better blocking out large chunks of time while others work better floating in and out of communication systems, but having expectations that are spelled out helps clarify interactions. It can be as simple as “everyone should check slack at least twice a day.” Or it might be something like “All employees are expected to be on slack during their work hours. Please put yourself on Do Not Disturb (DND) mode if you need some time to focus. Only send someone a notification when they are in DND mode if it’s an actual emergency that can’t wait an hour or two.”

What is confidential and what can be taken out of the slack and told to friends, family members, potential partners, and potential investors

When to use what channels, especially what to post on the general channel, when to make new channels, when to just do a DM or group DM

What’s expected to be on your profile. This might include name, current location & time zone, job title, photo, what are your normal working hours, how else they can reach you, etc

When should posts, conversations or even channels be deleted or archived

Who should be adding bots, integrations, and other third-party services to the slack

React to things

You know when you post something that you think is super important on a channel and then wait … and wait … and wait, and no one responds? Doesn’t that deflate all your enthusiasm and excitement? Doesn’t it make you feel “othered” and left out?

Then why would you leave someone else hanging when they post something? The best way to respond, when you don’t have much to say to respond is to just add a reaction to their post. It can be something as simple as a “thumbs up” or as silly as “catbus.” Placing a reaction to someone’s post acknowledges them for posting it, and gives them the peace of mind that someone’s read their message. It will also inevitably helps establish a more playful and fun culture as your team uploads new reactions with inside jokes.