Every ping is an interruption. Use notifications respectfully to avoid creating a culture of alert fatigue.
Overusing @channel or @here for non-urgent messages.
Tagging people outside working hours, especially across time zones.
Ping spamming — sending five short messages instead of one complete thought.
Ignoring a colleague's status or Do Not Disturb settings.
Clarity is kindness. Vague or incomplete messages create unnecessary work for others.
Just saying “hi” or “hey” with no context and waiting for a reply.
Writing giant, unformatted blocks of text that are difficult to read.
Dropping links with no explanation of what they are or what action is needed.
Hijacking threads for unrelated topics instead of starting a new conversation.
Channels are shared spaces. Keeping them organized and on-topic makes information accessible for everyone.
Posting off-topic content in focused work channels.
Failing to name channels clearly (e.g., #random123, #stuff).
Creating duplicate channels instead of searching for and reusing existing ones.
Not archiving inactive channels, leading to clutter and confusion.
Respect your colleagues' need for deep work and work-life balance. Not every message requires an instant reply.
Interrupting deep work for non-urgent matters without checking availability.
Using Slack for complex topics that are better suited for a scheduled meeting.
Expecting others to scroll back hundreds of messages to catch up; provide a summary instead.
Sending messages during a colleague's PTO, vacation, or sick leave.
Digital communication should build trust, not break it down. Be mindful of how your actions impact team morale.
Using public channels for criticism or feedback that should be private.
Making fun of coworkers or using passive-aggressive emoji in public threads.
Letting important questions from teammates go unanswered.
Treating Slack as a power game by ignoring messages on purpose.
Automations should reduce noise, not create more of it. Configure bots to be helpful, not distracting.
Letting integrations flood channels with low-value or non-actionable updates.
Not configuring bots to post in the most appropriate, relevant channels.
Creating workflow announcements that sound robotic, cold, or lack context.
Ignoring bot etiquette, such as a GreetBot spamming welcome messages.