What does Slack? See eight tips for using the program at home office | Stay at home

Slack is one of the main communication tools used during the home office. In the midst of a new coronavirus pandemic, the work model has become an alternative for companies and the main objective of the platform is to facilitate dialogue between team members, functioning as a virtual office where it is possible to touch projects, send files, hold meetings. This way, people can concentrate all work-related matters in a single channel, eliminating the use of WhatsApp for professional conversations.

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It is possible to use Slack on the PC or on Android and iPhone (iOS) phones. The app has several useful functions, which can be used on all platforms. Next, check out eight tips for making the most of Slack's tools and optimizing your work during the home office period.

See nine tips for using Slack and improving productivity in the home office Photo: Reproduo / SlackSee nine tips for using Slack and improving productivity in the home office Photo: Reproduo / Slack

See nine tips for using Slack and improving productivity in the home office Photo: Reproduo / Slack

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Home office: see tools for working at home on the coronavirus

Home office: see tools for working at home on the coronavirus

When creating a channel, you can set it as private, a feature that makes it visible only to guests. This is the intuitive step for almost everyone when setting up the workspace, as action increases the privacy of business communication. On the other hand, leaving some channels as "public" is something that can help a lot in everyday life.

For example, a company that has a large number of resellers can create a public channel with the price list of its products. Thus, the professional just has the link to view the messages and files of the channel, without the administrator having to send invitations to dozens or hundreds of people. To do this, just do not activate the "Make private" key when creating the channel. You can switch to "private" at any time, but once that happens, the action cannot be undone.

Slack's public channels facilitate communication with external collaborators Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireSlack's public channels facilitate communication with external collaborators Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Slack's public channels facilitate communication with external collaborators Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

2. Replace meetings with daily check-ins

In the case of the home office, one way to end unproductive meetings by videoconference is to replace long conversations with brief check-ins on the progress of each team member's work. To do this, add reminders for coworkers to share your updates. Use the bar command (/ remember) and mark the entire channel (# channelname), explaining the time when you want the team to send the summary report. When you press enter, Slackbot will appear and allow you to set the time and periodicity of the reminder.

Use Slackbot to create reminders that allow you to replace meetings with brief updates Photo: Reproduction / Raquel FreireUse Slackbot to create reminders that allow you to replace meetings with brief updates Photo: Reproduction / Raquel Freire

Use Slackbot to create reminders that allow you to replace meetings with brief updates Photo: Reproduction / Raquel Freire

3. Make a communication channel

A good tip for better organizing the home office is to create a channel dedicated exclusively to the dissemination of official communications. It is ideal that the company has a general, with all employees, and each team has its own communication channel. Especially in this pandemic season, this channel can be an important means of announcing stoppage dates, measures to help employees, recommendations on previously scheduled trips, among others.

When creating a Slack account, the platform automatically opens a channel called #general that has this purpose. However, it is possible to rename it to an even more objective title, such as "Comunicados" or "Comunicados-RH", for example. To do this, just go to the #general channel, click on "More", select "Rename channel" and enter the desired name.

Create a general communications channel on Slack to keep the team informed Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireCreate a general communications channel on Slack to keep the team informed Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Create a general communications channel on Slack to keep the team informed Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

It is also possible to change the description, add emojis and customize the way you want. To avoid conflicting information, set the channel to be edited only by administrators and leave it as read-only for other members.

Slack has integration with several services, which allows you to use the tools essential to work without leaving the platform – and, thus, reduce the loss of time and productivity. Google Drive, Office 365, Zoom and Trello are just some of the apps that can be added to Slack channels.

At the bottom of the sidebar, you will see the option "Apps" and a "+" sign. Click on it to open the window with the main applications integrated into the service. If what you want is there, just press the "Add" button. Otherwise, click on the "App Directory" link to view all available tool options.

The completion of the connection varies depending on the program. To integrate Google tools, for example, just sign in using your Gmail account credentials. In the case of Trello, I need to grant permission to access the paintings. Apps can be added to channels individually, which means that each channel can rely on a set of tools needed by that team – no more, no less.

Slack has integration with services like Google Drive and Trello Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireSlack has integration with services like Google Drive and Trello Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Slack has integration with services like Google Drive and Trello Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

5. Create a channel with team schedules

In addition to the communication channel, it is interesting to create an exclusive for schedules, shifts, breaks and holidays. This is a quick way for employees to consult when they need to cover someone else's work, for example, helping to organize everyone's time. Its application eliminates the need to create a general channel for all company employees; just create a channel per team, configured as read-only for users in general, with permission for managers to post.

Creating a team schedule channel helps employees organize work time Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireCreating a team schedule channel helps employees organize work time Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Creating a team schedule channel helps employees organize work time Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

6. Set status and availability

If you are working from home, your co-workers have no way of knowing when you are in front of the computer. You can be at lunchtime and someone will send you an urgent message thinking that you are available at the moment, when, in fact, you will only read the request an hour later.

A simple way to prevent this from happening is to make it clear what you are doing in the status. In the left bar, click on your name and then enter "Edit status". Slack offers five predefined status options, but you can customize it by changing the activity, the emoji and the duration. This way, your team will have an exact notion of your availability and be able to act accordingly – making a call in case of an emergency, for example.

Slack allows you to customize status to make the availability of users visible to everyone on the team Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireSlack allows you to customize status to make the availability of users visible to everyone on the team Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Slack allows you to customize status to make the availability of users visible to everyone on the team Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

7. Add files to Slack

Adding files to a channel gives your co-workers quick access to important documents. If you like to make flowcharts on paper, another interesting use is to take a picture of the manual drawing and send it to Slack, which is much faster than creating a slide or graphics on the computer.

Slack allows you to send files from Box Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive, in addition to the device itself – cell phone or PC. Just enter the channel, click on the attachment icon (the clip) and choose the source of the file. You can also add reminders and notes from the attach button.

Slack lets you add files from your device and cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireSlack lets you add files from your device and cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Slack lets you add files from your device and cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

8. Promote proximity between people with video calls

People who work remotely can feel isolated. In addition to individual loss, this process reduces the productivity of workers who do not feel part of the team. One way to circumvent this negative effect is to promote voice and video calls periodically. Videoconferences can be more informal, without job updates, for people to get to know each other better. Slack allows you to make calls with up to 15 people, just press the "Call" button on the right side of the channel. The resource, however, is restricted to paid plans (standard, plus and enterprise grid).

Making voice and video calls periodically on Slack brings team members together Photo: Reproduo / Raquel FreireMaking voice and video calls periodically on Slack brings team members together Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

Making voice and video calls periodically on Slack brings team members together Photo: Reproduo / Raquel Freire

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