Communication

We are distributed, so how we communicate decides how well we work. The principle, described in Culture, is simple: public, written and asynchronous by default. Private conversations are for sensitive matters or for conversations that need a more personal touch, and meetings are the exception, run as described in Meetings.

Slack

Slack is our office. Default to public channels over direct messages, so that everyone is informed on what is happening.

Channels are continuously created and archived, so it’s a good idea to open the channel browser from time to time to see what’s happening. To make browsing easier, we distinguish between foundational channels and optional channels.

Foundational channels

You’re added to these channels as soon as you join. They have been around for a long time and are not prefixed.

• #general: the default channel. Use it to let the team know when you get to or leave the office, and when you’ll be using some PTO.
• #announcements: company-wide communications. The channel is read-only to make it easy to follow, and shoutouts from Bob are posted here automatically.
• #praise: where we celebrate successes (see Feedback).
• #social-cazzeggio: where fun and games happen (see Rituals).
• #celebrations: birthdays, anniversaries and important events (see Celebrations).

Optional channels

Optional channels are generally very specific and use a prefix. If you create a new channel, use one of these:

• #learning-: communities of practice around serious topics, such as #learning-engineering and #learning-ecommerce.
• #proj-: conversations and questions about a specific project.
• #social-: chit-chat about light topics, such as #social-musicaddicted and #social-movieaddicted.
• #donut-: pairings run by the Donut bot (see Rituals).

Staying in the loop

Any important communication is sent as a Bob shoutout, which posts a message in #announcements, sends an email, and shows the communication on Bob’s homepage when you clock in.

All-hands meetings

Every month, the entire team convenes for an all-hands meeting. This is our time to regroup, realign, and discuss company strategy. The meetings are synchronous, but recordings are provided so everyone can re-watch them at their own pace.

Async updates

Smaller updates, such as a departmental update, a project update, or the introduction of a new ritual, are shared as asynchronous videos. Everyone stays informed while respecting individual time and work schedules.

The updates archive

You can find every update ever recorded in Nebulab’s Google Drive shared folder.