How do you make Slack work for your remote team? I'd love your feedback on our Slack norms 👇

🧵 Thread, don't spread When discussing, use threads. They contain notifications to the participants and keep channels organized. A threaded dialogue is much easier to search and discover later. 📖 Book it Not all messages require a response. If you've read a message that's relevant to you, and have nothing to say, react with the book emoji. 📣 Default to public Sliding into DMs can be necessary to problem solve. That said, if others might benefit from seeing the decision-making, thread it in a channel. Allow the team to follow your thought process. ⏳ Set your schedule Slack is accessible and lowers the communication barrier. That doesn't mean you should be accessible 24/7. Set your notification schedule in Slack to coincide with your working hours on Google Calendar. 🌴 Take a breather We are not in a contest to see who responds the fastest and who has their green light on the longest. Take breaks. Respond to @mentions if you're away from your computer during regular working hours. Otherwise, it can wait. 🦉 Use @ wisely This one is important! Follow generally accepted conventions for @-tagging in channels: @*channel* → Channel-wide, must-read announcements and urgent, all hands on deck matters. @*here* → Quick response needed from the online team. Consider direct mentions before *@here*. @*mention* → Seeking a specific response or update to/from a person on the team. Unless you mention, don't assume a particular person will read or respond to that message. ➕ Assume positive intent Avoid reading between the lines and making logical leaps from a message someone sends. Treat it as literal, assume positive intent, and ask clarifying questions. Remember this when writing messages, as well. 📝 Assume low context Low context communicators default to assuming team members don't have context on a message. Know that asymmetrical information is amplified on remote teams, and put the team first. Provide links, resources, and clarity. It may slow you down, but it will benefit everyone else. 💭 Value thought over speed Prioritize comprehensive thought in your responses instead of a quick message. If your need feedback, welcome everyone's input and set a feedback time window. Don't act immediately on the first response.