Slack

We recommend starting with a reduced access and only inviting to select channels as a multi-channel guest. Over time, and as trust is built up, you can revisit.

Communication

Since we work in an environment that produces primarily text communication, it is essential to understand how to properly utilize communication through text.

No Private Messages on Slack

When an engineer is nose down on a ticket, they can often times neglect important things like answering a teammate's request for help. This results in engineers privately messaging each other to get the help they need. As this activity increases, the public conversations start to disappear.

The behavior of messaging each other privately is a symptom of a team that is not working together efficiently. Lack of team work affects the overall success of the team, therefore the practice of private messaging is forbidden. Since we do not have the ability to turn this feature off in Slack, we have to constantly remind the team the effect that privately messaging each other has on the overall effectiveness of the team. Any mention of a private message needs to be reprimanded with a reminder as to why we do not appreciate private messages. When an engineer remarks about talking with a teammate, asking them where that conversation took place so that you can review it is another way to probe for this undesirable behavior.

The benefit of public conversation is that anyone can contribute to the conversation. If two engineers are discussing a topic and are unable to come to a solution, a public conversation allows them to quickly include someone else. That engineer can read the previous conversation and get up to speed quickly. Public conversations can also serve as documentation. Someone searching for a term related to that conversation may find that it helps them to understand the problem they are currently facing.

Failure to maintain this standard despite several warnings should result in termination of that's engineer's contract. The inability to follow this simple rule is potentially a good indicator of other failings the engineer has.