Over 10 million people log on to Slack every day.
Slacks own employees, of course, use Slack they use it a lot.
And ifdistractionis triggered by technology, then they should surely suffer the consequences.
Surprisingly, according to media reports and Slack employees I spoke with, the company doesnt have that problem.
White letters on a bright pink background blare: Work hard and go home.
However, at Slack, people know when to log off.
By 6:30 p.m., Slacks offices have pretty much cleared out.
And according to the article, thats how [Slack CEO] Butterfield wants it.
Surely, Slack employees log back in when they get home, right?
In fact, they are discouraged from using Slack after theyve left.
Its not polite to send direct messages after hours or during weekends, he adds.
Slack management leads by example to encourage employees to take time to disconnect.
Shevat echoes Macaitiss sentiment.
At Slack, he said: Its okay to be offline.
He is religious about giving his coworkers his complete attention when meeting in person.
When I give someone my time, Im focused 100 percent and never open a phone during a meeting.
That is super important for me.
Shevat also revealed how Slack employees stay offline outside office hours.
Shevat told me that if an employee tries to send a message when they shouldnt.
You will get hit by the Do Not Disturb feature.
Most important, the culture at Slack ensures employees have a place to discuss their concerns.
Dealing with distraction starts by understanding whats going on inside us.
But how does a company as big as Slack see to it everyone has a place to feel heard?
This is where the companys own technology comes in handy.
The group-chat tool facilitates the regular discussions needed to foster psychological safety while coming to consensus quickly.
How do they do it?
Though it may seem inconceivable, Shevat credits emoji.
Slack channels for everything
At Slack, theres a channel for everything, he says.
Among the many Slack channels, the ones company leadership takes most seriously are the feedback channels.
Heres where emoji can come to the rescue.
Management lets people know theyve read their feedback with an eyes emoji, explains Shevat.
Other times, if something is handled or fixed, someone will respond with a checkmark, Shevat explains.
Of course, not every conversation at every company should take place in a group chat.
Slack also conducts regular all-hands meetings where employees can ask senior management questions directly.
It is critical to the well-being of a company and its employees.
The future of the indistractable workplace
Theres always a risk when pointing to specific companies as exemplars.
Certainly, working at Slack isnt perfect.
Some employees I spoke with told me theyd had bad experiences with heavy-handed managers.
As one former employee said, They really did have a go at be a psychologically safe company.
Its just that not everyone was equally skilled at maneuvering some of those nuances.
