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Integrating Slack in the Workplace

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Slack-ing Through the Government

Kate McCabe & Julia Barcenas

The University of Texas at Austin

1. ABSTRACT

     The employees for the City of Austin (CoA) have found that communication has become more complex recently with the introduction of flexible scheduling and the use of several project management, organization, and communication platforms. After much research, we recommend the CoA use Slack to centralize the communication so it can be more efficient and effective. Slack offers many functions that make it a versatile and worthwhile platform to spend time and resources adopting, but these features can sometimes have adverse effects when utilized improperly. Because of this, we suggest the CoA be very transparent about the way they plan on utilizing Slack and all of its features. We also suggest that they encourage employees to utilize notification features that will prevent them from being overwhelmed by the amount of information they are receiving from Slack. Through workshopping and the utilization of influential employees, we believe Slack can be seamlessly integrated into the CoA so that employees feel they are valued and their time outside of the workplace is respected.



2. THE COMMUNICATION PROBLEM

     We have been approached by the City of Austin (CoA) and asked to recommend a technology that can help to bridge some communication gaps that have recently developed. The CoA has been allowing its employees to utilize a flexible schedule system. This system allows employees to choose what eight hours of the day they would like to work while also allowing them the ability to work from home. While this means Austin traffic sees some relief with fewer government officials coming in and leaving during the peak rush hours, it also means that communication in the office has become more complex. The CoA also uses several platforms for project management, organization, and communication, so information can be difficult to obtain if an employee does not know where to look.

     Because employees can no longer rely on their ability to catch a fellow employee at their desk when they need to talk to them or ask a question, the CoA specifically asked us to find a platform that would make communication more efficient across both geographical boundaries and boundaries caused by the use of multiple software. Platforms such as email, text messaging, and phone calls are already in place, but each platform is failing to provide CoA employees with a central hub of communication that is both professional and transparent. Email is too formal and too selective in who gets to see the conversations being had, text messages are just as selective and they are too informal, and phone calls don’t allow for conversations to be documented for future reference while, again, being very selective in who receives the information.

     Knowing about the systems currently in place, we were able to develop criteria for the new technology that we propose the CoA use to make communication better:

  • The platform should be public
  • It should be easy to use while on-the-go
  • It should make it easier for people to communicate about projects and other happenings in and out of the office
  • It should be professional

Our research led us to Slack, a multifaceted platform that we believe checks all of these boxes in the ways we list below.



3. TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

     Slack is a cloud-based instant messaging software that allows for companies of all varieties to communicate efficiently. Slack is a simple software that just needs an internet connection to work and can be accessed from an array of devices. Employees can download the app on their mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and tablets so they can access company communication from anywhere.

     Once an employee is added to the company “workspace” they are able to see “channels” where company administrators can create chat rooms specific to certain topics and everyone can correspond publicly. Slack also offers direct messaging so employees can privately communicate with managers and fellow colleagues. Slack offers a variety of settings and features that allow for employees to search a company directory, search the entire workspace, “set a status,” and even schedule do-not-disturb times.

     Slack offers companies a balanced professional and informal platform for all employees - from managers and bosses to interns and regular employees - to communicate efficiently and effectively. Whether it be communication about an important project, a question for anyone to help with, or a joke, Slack provides an excellent platform for all communication. 



4. SOLUTION STATEMENT

We hope the CoA will use Slack to make communication easier over boundaries. The two boundaries we focused most of our efforts on were geographical boundaries and boundaries that occur when an organization is using several platforms for project management and organization.


Overcoming Geographical Boundaries

Slack is an online platform that can be used on any device with a live connection to the internet. Slack can be downloaded to phones and desktops as an app and it can be opened on an internet browser. Organizations love that the platform is easy to access no matter where you are in the world.

Our research showed that organizations that see a lot of long-distance communication see big differences in the quality of communication after the introduction of Slack. The researchers in ‘Our newsroom in the cloud’: Slack, virtual newsrooms and journalistic practice sought to understand the impact Slack had specifically on employees working for an online newsroom (Bunce, et al., 2017). They found that the results varied from employee-to-employee, but in general Slack has provided a more casual means of effectively communicating laterally than platforms like email. Almost every journalist reported feeling closer to their fellow employees because of Slack, with some employees saying that Slack gave them the means to have a close relationship with everyone, including people they have never met in person (Bunce, et al., 2017). And, because people from other locations were able to easily offer their own insights and knowledge on projects and stories as they appeared, global communication appeared to be much more effective. The same could be said for onboarding, brainstorming, and organizational logistics.

Centralizing Communication

     This brings us to the benefits of centralizing communication. The researchers mentioned above noted that employees were seeing more streamlined communication in the newsroom, and these findings were mirrored in the science lab.

     The scientists in How Scientists Use Slack appear to really benefit from the platform. They average 500 messages per day through the software, with one scientist saying it is far better than email (Perkel, 2017). The scientists especially like the extensive library of plug-ins Slack offers. These plug-ins perform many functions:

  • They make it easy for people to weigh in on specific topics by offering users the ability to create new channels that are specific to a topic.
  • They make it easy to acknowledge a user’s contributions by reacting to a post.
  • They help users keep to-do lists on a per-channel and per-user basis. (Users can also assign reminders to other team members or entire channels.)
  • They streamline onboarding because of the functionality of the search bar and the pin function.
  • They allow users to build their own plug-ins when they want something more custom than what Slack has to offer.
  • They make it easy to connect with your peers. There are plug-ins that make it easy to find gifs, add emojis, and create custom emojis.

     Additionally, the platform makes it easy to link other platforms to the channels. If you are using Basecamp or GoogleDrive to manage your projects, you are able to easily drop information into the channels for others to see and access.



5. CAUTION STATEMENT

     With all of the advantages that Slack offers, there are some consequences that the CoA should be aware of and combat appropriately. The two major consequences that our research has found are communication overload and the lack of privacy on Slack.

Communication Overload

     The consequence of communication overload negatively affects many employees’ ability to be productive. Slack offers limitless communication, but with this surplus of information and messaging, the notifications can be overwhelming for users. In Rani Molla’s article, The productivity pit: How Slack is ruining work she beautifully states, “The addition of yet another communications tool can result in a surfeit of information” (Molla, 2019). When not balanced correctly, Slack can have the side effect of presenting too much communication for employees to juggle. Molla also suggests that the attempt to keep up with all the conversations on Slack feels like a full-time job, making it impossible to get work done. Molla quotes Alicia Liu in her article saying, “‘Applied to Slack, its greatest strength: amazing ease-of-use is also its weakness: making it far too easy for everyone to default to using Slack for communicating, even for all the myriad things that don’t make sense to use Slack to communicate’” (Molla, 2019).

     With the addition of another communication tool such as Slack, employees can be bombarded with incoming messages, a new platform to maintain, and more information to process and utilize for work. This can lead to a communication overload similar to what is described in Karr-Wisniewski and Lu’s, When more is too much article (Karr-Wisniewski, Lu, 2010). Employees can get overwhelmed by too many notifications to keep up with because they feel like it is their responsibility to read and process all important information. In the article, research showed that, “as perceived communication overload increased, there was a reported significant decrease in perceived productivity” (Karr-Wisniewski, Lu, 2010, p. 1068). With the constant notifications from a variety of conversations on Slack, employees find that it can be difficult to regain productive work time after processing each distraction.


Lack of Privacy on Slack

     Although Slack provides a collaborative and open space for all employees to connect, the fact that administrators can ask Slack for permission to see private messages can make employees feel as though their privacy could be invaded at any moment. Many employees don’t know who the administrator is on Slack or that this feature exists at all, and those who do are skeptical of the motivations of the administrators who have the ability to read everyone’s messages, public and private. Another feature allows anyone to see how active individuals are on Slack, again creating a lack of privacy. According to Monica Torres’ article Slack is bad, Actually, it’s easy for anyone to find out all of this information about users. She warns users to be wary and not to trust Slack blindly (Torres, 2019).



6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

     Keeping in mind how easy it is for employees in an organization to feel overwhelmed by how much information and communication is passed through Slack and how important it is to many employees that their organization be transparent about the surveillance features Slack offers, we have prepared three recommendations to help the CoA navigate around these concerns.


Fostering Transparency through Workshopping

     Slack can easily cultivate an environment that allows for transparency, this transparency facilitates a feeling of trust in the organization that can create deeper bonds. However, as was mentioned above, while Slack makes transparency easy to obtain, employees sometimes feel as though they are being surveilled by their bosses or managers because the platform is so public.

     In order to combat this, we believe the most efficient way of creating this productive and positive culture through Slack is by introducing the technology through workshopping. During this workshopping, the organization should let employees know who the admin of the workspace is and provide any essential information that is relevant to all employees feeling comfortable and safe. It is important that this program is introduced in a way that informs the users of all of the relevant abilities and how the employees can access them.

     Keeping transparency in mind, Slack should be introduced by letting the employees know that this platform has several moderator features that make it possible to access private conversations and chat boards in the event of an emergency. Administrators should emphasize during this discussion that this feature is there to keep the employees safe and that its power will not be abused. Finally, the CoA should reinforce the idea that sensitive information and difficult or urgent conversations should be had over the phone or in person. Slack should be used for casual daily communication only, so any big developments should be handled on a platform that is reflective of the urgency and breadth of the situation.


Utilizing Your People and Resources

     During the workshopping process, Slack should be introduced to employees by early adopters of the technology and opinion leaders in the CoA. Early adopters are “considered the ‘individual to check with’ before trying out a new idea” according to Browning and Søernes’ chapter called “Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation” (Browning, Søernes, 2008). The use of early adopters to implement Slack encourages other employees to follow the trendsetters by using the new technology.

     Similar to early adopters, opinion leaders are “individuals whose words and behaviors influence that of their peers” (Cain, Mittman, 2002). Opinion leaders are well-liked within the company and are friends or friendly with everyone. This positive, favorable individual can provide a constructive association between the new technology, Slack, and it’s implementation into the workplace. With the use of early adopters and opinion leaders, the utilization of Slack will run smoothly and allow for productive communication.

Outlining Expectations

     To help combat the overwhelming feeling caused by an influx of messages and notifications, we suggest the CoA outline expectations for how Slack will be used. We suggest that the CoA encourage their employees to use the do not disturb feature on the app so that employees only receive notifications during their scheduled work hours. During the workshopping process, demonstrate how this feature can be enabled so that employees feel more in control rather than distressed by communication overload. This recommendation will also diminish the possibility of employees using and checking Slack during non-work hours, thus combating the erosion of work-life balance.

     Another expectation that should be set from the get-go is that certain channels are for certain subjects. Create channels for specific departments or projects, and have channels like #watercoolertalk or #anythingbutwork so other unrelated conversations won’t hide important information. This recommendation lets employees only follow and check-in with channels that are relevant and important to them and their work, while also creating a space where they can connect with fellow employees over random chit-chat.

     With this being said, another similar expectation is that Slack should only be used for quick, daily communication only. During the workshopping process, managers should highlight and emphasize that Slack is an instant messaging app that is beneficial to quick, instantaneous conversations, and it should be used appropriately.



7. CONCLUSION

     Slack is an excellent tool for cultivating relationships and conversations across many different types of boundaries. Not only is the tool easy to access and use, but it also makes it easy to incorporate the other platforms being used by an organization. We highly encourage the City of Austin to consider using Slack as a means of centralizing communication. If the CoA focuses their efforts on workshopping the platform into the organization, setting expectations and boundaries for the use of the platform so employees don’t feel pressured to bring work home with them, and finds influential employees to rally behind the use of the platform, we think Slack can be implemented seamlessly in a way that will really enhance the quality of communication in the workplace.



8. WORKS CITED

Browning, L. D., Søernes, J. (2008). Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations. In L. D. Browning, A. S. Saetre, and K. Stephens (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Action: Linking Theories and Narratives of Practice (1st ed., pp. 47-56). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bunce, M., Scott, M. & Wright, K. (2017). 'Our newsroom in the cloud': Slack, virtual newsrooms and journalistic practice, Journal of New Media and Society, 20(9), 3381-3399, doi: 10.1177/1461444817748955

Cain, M., Mittman, R. (2002). Diffusion of Innovation in Health Care. California HealthCare Foundation. 1-29.

Karr-Wisniewski, P., Lu, Y. (2010). When more is too much: Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its impact on knowledge worker productivity. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(5), 1061-1072.

Molla, R. (2019). The productivity pit: how Slack is ruining work. Recode by Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/1/18511575/productivity-slack-google-microsoft-facebook

Perkel, J. M. (2017). How Scientists Use Slack. Nature, 541(7635), 123-124.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/541123a


Torres, M. (2019). Slack is Bad, Actually. Huffington Post. Retrieved from

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/slack-is-bad-for-privacy_l_5d0bdc05e4b0aa375f49aa23