Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
newyorker.com
Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
1–10 of 131 posts
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#2slack IS email.
corporate communication changed medium but remained the same.
paper/reports/memos > email clients > rich email clients > webmail+blackberry > webmail+email apps > slack (desktop email app)
it is just the first, crappy, desktop email app client. The incumbents will eat them soon, just like microsoft and oracle ate all other email clients in the 90s. I mean, slack is already in someone’s plate.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#3Slack drives me a bit nuts - everyone at my office loves it because it is very well optimized for engagement and, well, chat. That's great and all but in a work environment I want my tools optimized for communication and work, which are often at odds with chat. The SNR is completely wrong for me.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#4Slack is a big setback for the labor movement . It undermines any distinction between work and leisure
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#5slack IS email. corporate communication changed medium but remained the same. paper/reports/memos > email clients > rich email clients > webmail+blackberry > webmail+email apps > slack (desktop email app) it is just the first, crappy, desktop email app client. The incumbents will eat them soon, just like microsoft and oracle ate all other email clients in the 90s. I mean, slack is already in someone’s plate.
No its not. What I find frustrating about Slack is that it gives certain people the ability to say "i didn't see that" regarding important work information. I regard properly reading your email part of your job, and if you're missing important emails, you're failing at it. I find that unless you send an email alongside whatever Slack notification, many people will just ignore it.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#6Here's what this conversation always boils down to:
Slack is a tool, just like one of probably dozens you use in your day-to-day work. It doesn't set or enforce any guidelines for how it should be used. If left unchecked it has a tendency to amplify the worst parts of your company's culture. If you make an effort to moderate it, it can be a huge asset to productivity.
Speaking of the example in the article, there is absolutely no reason clients should have direct message channels with your company's employees and expect to get a response 24/7. This is true with email, Slack, SMS and every other form of communication.
The criticism I most often hear is "Slack expects me to be online all the time". No, YOUR COMPANY expects you to be online all the time. Slack can be closed with one click.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#7Slack is a big setback for the labor movement . It undermines any distinction between work and leisure
Uninstall it from your phone? Turn off notifications? Make a work profile on your android and get off it once your shift ends?
I use Slack daily and I've never brought it home with me.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#8I mean slack isn't even that good. It's a shame it got so entrenched. I wish Discord makes a business productivity push
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#9Slack is a big setback for the labor movement . It undermines any distinction between work and leisure
Uninstall it from your phone? Turn off notifications? Make a work profile on your android and get off it once your shift ends? I use Slack daily and I've never brought it home with me.
Pretty much this. If you don't set boundaries, your job will set yours.
Re: Slack is the right tool for the wrong way to work
#10Slack is a big setback for the labor movement . It undermines any distinction between work and leisure
Uninstall it from your phone? Turn off notifications? Make a work profile on your android and get off it once your shift ends? I use Slack daily and I've never brought it home with me.
Yep. I'm happy to give out my phone number to people at work in case of emergencies, but I do not want work notifications at random hours of the day when I'm not working.