Slack Etiquette: How to use Slack effectively and respectfully at work
Tags: productivity, watercooler, programming, career
Published: 2021-06-04 15:26:47

Slack is a communication lifesaver. It makes it simple to organize messages, retain searchable message history, communicate asynchronously, and keep everyone in the loop.

Slack can also be a productivity nightmare of never-ending interruptions.

The key to using Slack effectively is for everyone to commit to having good Slack etiquette. Let’s look at a few guidelines to see what this means:

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## Default to public channels, then private channels, then direct messages

Information sharing is one of the beauties of Slack. When you use public channels to communicate announcements, discuss ideas, ask questions, and troubleshoot problems, everyone in the channel can participate.

On the flip side, if you rely solely on direct messages, the person you’ve messaged now feels obligated to respond. If you’re asking a question, this person might not be available to help you at the moment. They may be busy or on vacation. They might not know the answer or might not be the best resource to help you.

When you ask questions in public channels, you now have many people who can help. Interested and available parties can chime in, and those who are unable to help can continue on with their day.

Asking questions in public channels also makes these discussions searchable in Slack in the future. Someone a week later may have the same question as you or run into the same problem that you did, and having the conversation and solution right there in Slack helps them find the answers they need without having to have the same exact conversation again.

Sometimes messages need to be more private or only sent to a small group of people. For example, a group of managers may need to discuss their direct reports’ compensation. Or a panel of interviewers may need to discuss their feedback on a particular candidate. Private channels are great for this kind of sensitive information.

Direct messages may also be important when you have something personal to discuss with someone or really do need help from one particular person.

The important rule though is to default to using public channels when you can. Then go for private channels when needed and finally direct messages when warranted.

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## Don’t use `@here` or `@channel` unless your message needs everyone’s immediate attention

If your message is an announcement for “everyone” in the channel, it can be tempting to use `@here` or `@channel`. However, keep in mind the distraction this notification creates. `@here` notifies everyone who is currently online, and `@channel` notifies everyone in the channel, even those who are offline.

Does your message about the recent employee newsletter really need everyone to stop what they’re doing immediately to go check it out? Probably not. (In fact, definitely not. Don’t be that person.)

On the other hand, if this is an engineering channel and your product application has gone down in production and you need all hands on deck, an `@here` mention is more than appropriate. That’s the perfect example of when you really do need to interrupt everyone to get their attention immediately.

So as a general rule of thumb for 99% of your messages: don’t use `@here` or `@channel`.

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## Use threads

Slack is a wonderful tool for facilitating multiple ongoing conversations at the same time. In fact, a busy Slack channel might have several active conversations at any moment. For this reason, Slack provides threads where you can respond in a “replies” section to any given message in the channel.

Using threads helps keep your channels clean. Imagine the chaos of multiple groups at a table in a busy restaurant shouting across the table to each other having three separate conversations. Messages get missed, and it’s difficult to follow the conversation. Let’s avoid that in Slack.

Instead, thread your messages.

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## Don’t send people “Hey” without including the rest of your message

Finally, my personal pet peeve. Have you ever gotten a message from one of your coworkers that simply reads “Hey”?

You sit there for a minute, waiting to see if there’s more to the message. But no, there’s not. You get back to whatever you were doing while you wait a few more minutes to see if they’ll send their followup message. But — nothing.

So, you respond, naturally, with “What’s up?” Then, finally, they send you their real message: they need your help with something.

Don’t be that guy. The beauty of asynchronous communication is that the person on the receiving end of the message doesn’t have to be immediately available to respond to your message. Instead, you can send your entire message up front (“Hey, are you available to help me with [x]?”) and wait for them to respond when they can.

Sending “Hey” with nothing else is a waste of everybody’s time.

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## Summary

By following these guidelines, we can be more effective Slack users *and* more respectful of each other’s time. Simply put:

* Default to public channels, then private channels, then direct messages
* Don’t use `@here` or `@channel` unless your message needs everyone’s immediate attention
* Use threads
* Don’t send people “Hey” without including the rest of your message

Now get out there and collaborate!