The big Slack etiquette: 10 tips for using the team messenger

Especially in the pandemic, team messengers like Slack are playing an increasingly important role in internal communication. However, in order for the collaboration to work via the tool, you should adhere to certain rules.

Slack has changed corporate communications forever. Internal e-mails are less necessary, the integration of external services simplifies everyday work and, above all, communication with colleagues has somehow become a bit cooler thanks to Slack. At the same time, however, our communication habits have also changed due to the use of real-time chat such as Slack or similar tools. This is basically not bad at all, but sometimes leads to certain annoyances.

In order to be able to work really productively with Slack and not to build up unnecessary frustration, it is advisable to follow certain rules. We would like to introduce you to the ten most important of these rules below. You should keep in mind that not every team is the same and, depending on the situation, you can deviate from the guidelines set out here – you should then definitely discuss this in the team and communicate it clearly.

Even if your experience with Slack, you should always first take a look at how your teammates use Messenger. While animated GIFs are commonplace in some circles, other teams might be less taken with them. So if you are new to a team or a channel, it is always advisable to take a look at the course of the conversation so far. This should give you a feeling for how your colleagues use the messenger.

The common communication in Slack takes place via channels. They are usually structured according to topics or work areas, teams or specific tasks. Posting a funny comment every now and then, but not directly related to the actual channel topic, will probably not bother anyone, but in principle you should respect the meaning and purpose of the respective channel. This becomes all the more important if the channel is intended for important messages and perhaps even has to be kept under constant surveillance by one or more employees.

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There are two ways in Slack to address all participants of a channel. If you send a message with the command @here, people who have subscribed to the channel and are currently online will be notified. The @channel command also pings everyone who is not currently active. So if you want the attention of all available colleagues, then you should use @here. Ideally, you should think carefully beforehand whether you really want to reach everyone and whether it might not work without notification. For example, if you can wait for a reaction. @channel, however, should be reserved for really important announcements.

If you have a question that only a certain person can answer, but not only their answer If you are interested in yourself, we recommend using an @mention, i.e. the direct mention of the username. What you should refrain from, however, are unnecessary @mentions. So if you only mention the names of colleagues for the sake of clarity, so that they know that they have been addressed, then just write the name and do without the spider monkeys. The same applies if you want to say thank you for the answer to a previous question. Here’s another notification just too much of a good thing.

Slack: Message threads are handy – so use them too. (Screenshot: Slack)

Message threads are suitable for small hints or questions about a statement. The fact that they first have to be unfolded increases their readability in the channel. They also tend to be the best place to go if you just want to leave a fun comment on a post.

React promptly to messages – even if you can only deal with the actual content later

Slack is a real-time communication medium. Therefore, your colleagues usually expect a reasonably timely answer. This means that you should respond promptly to inquiries for which you actually only have time later. In other words: If a task is assigned to you that you can only take on the next day, then you should be so kind as to communicate it immediately.

Don’t annoy your colleagues with unnecessarily many direct messages

If your colleagues do not heed the previous advice, it is a shame, but it does not give you the right to annoy them. Asking every five minutes whether your message has arrived is unnecessary and shouldn’t necessarily endear you. In addition, you should generally package your concern in just one message. If you send each sentence individually instead, that can also be quite annoying – depending on the respective notification settings of your counterpart.

Let your colleagues know where you are

You can tell your colleagues about your status if you are not available. (Screenshot: Slack / t3n)

It should be good form to greet your team in the morning and say goodbye in the evening after work. Even if you take a lunch break, you should let us know briefly. Then your colleagues will know that they may have to wait a little for an answer from you. This is exactly what the various slack statuses are intended for. Here you can make it clear to your colleagues without a chat message that you are currently in a meeting or that you cannot respond directly to incoming messages for other reasons.

Slacke not too much outside of normal working hours

Slack has a very useful feature that can be used to specify the times at which the team messenger does not notify send directions. But even if you use the function in your organization, you shouldn’t slack off too much outside of working hours. If a message can wait until Monday on the weekend, then you should wait for it too. In principle, it is not very beneficial for productivity if your colleagues have to read dozens of messages from the previous night for the first time every morning in order to keep up to date.

Don’t always ask the same questions

Note: Star markings are your friend! (Screenshot: Slack)

Nobody has a perfect memory. And yes, sometimes each of us forgets something. At a certain point, however, it becomes annoying if you keep asking the same question over and over again. In Slack in particular, this is basically not necessary, because there is not only a search function, but also star markings. With the latter you can mark messages that are important for you for a later point in time, and then call them up again and again – without annoying your colleagues.

Praise publicly, criticize privately

If you If you want to praise your team or individual colleagues for their work, then you should t do it publicly in the appropriate channel. Because there praise unfolds its full power as a means of motivation. On the other hand, you shouldn’t address any omissions in front of everyone else, but in the form of a direct message. This does not only apply to Slack, but should not be forgotten there either.

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