Our Slack structure and policies have three primary objectives in mind:
Ensure that staff know where to go for critical information and can readily find it when they need it
Minimize distracting activity on Slack and allow staff to control their own preferences
Provide space for and encourage B Lab staff to engage with our global network
Toward that end, we ask that all B Lab staff (including B Lab Global, B Standards Trust, US/Canada, and People & Operations) join the channels in the table below. Where appropriate, contractors may be added by their manager as well. Be sure to check out our tips for managing Slack.
An archive of employee communications announcements can be found on Thinkific.
REQUIRED SLACK CHANNELS FOR ALL B LAB STAFF | |||||
Channel Name | Can I mute it? | Purpose | Audience | Who Posts Here? | Notes / Examples of what goes here |
b-announcements (changing to pops-announcements in Sept 2020) *Intending to phase out this channel by January 1, 2020 | No | Announcements and actionable info from People & Operations + Org Leads. Audience: All full-time B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | People & Operations, org leads | Links to employee newsletters, other updates that may fall through the cracks as we transition updates off of Slack. |
updates-covid-19 | No | Critical updates on covid-19 planning & response for all full-time staff and interns. | B Lab staff and interns | People & Operations, org leads | Announcements related to COVID-19 only. Where there are changes that may have been inspired by COVID-19 but will endure beyond our office closure, they may be directed to another channel. |
b-convos | Optional | Any work-related updates, discussions, or questions that are relevant to all B Lab staff. Audience: All full-time B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | In most cases, if your post isn’t celebratory (b-celebration), JEDI related (jedi-conversations), relevant to a global audience (global-mvmt-building), or a work-related update (b-work-out-loud), it probably goes in b-convos. Non-work related content can be directed to #random. |
b-teams-out-loud (changing to b-work-out-loud in Sept 2020) | Optional | This channel is a space for B Lab staff to “work out loud” and stay up to date with what other teams at B Lab are working on. Audience: All full-time B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | Share what you’re working on here! This includes tactical “out louds” for teams, but it also includes one-off work-related updates (e.g. tech changes) as well as quarterly strategic updates from divisions. |
b-celebration | Optional | This channel is a space for celebration! Share appreciation for your colleagues, major work or personal wins, and general kudos. Audience: All full-time B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | Announcing birthdays, anniversaries, new staff; sharing kudos for your colleagues; any breed of internal celebration is welcomed and encouraged! |
jedi-conversations | Optional | For general conversations related to EDI, including current events, resources, articles, etc. Audience: B Lab staff and interns + global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | Anything JEDI-related. B Lab initiatives or announcements related to JEDI will be cross-posted in the employee newsletter so staff may mute this channel if they wish. |
global-announcements | No | This channel is a space for sharing CRITICAL* updates and ACTIONABLE information with the global community. Internal-focused. Audience: B Lab staff and interns + global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | Primarily Irving, Juan Pablo, and B Lab Global staff | Announcements related to major network-wide initiatives and updates, included but not limited to Global Leadership Team updates, changes in the global network (new partners, new global staff, etc.), updates on processes from B Lab Global and work from Global Partners that have relevance in other Global Partner regions as well. *If you are not sure if your post is critical, ask Irving. |
global-mvmt-building | Optional | This channel is a space for sharing any NON-CRITICAL relevant updates, discussions, or questions for the global network, including press, videos, blog posts, etc. Audience: B Lab staff and interns + global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | B Lab staff and interns, global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | Post here any celebration-worthy events happening globally or in your region. This is the room for other non-actionable updates for the global network. |
| Optional | A forum for B Lab staff to ask any question of leadership. Questions can also be asked anonymously at the link in the description. | B Lab staff and interns, global partner staff, contractors where appropriate | Anyone in the channel | ||
Additional Clarification
b-convos:
- Anyone can post here (including POps!)
- Posts should be relevant to all B Lab staff (rather than just one team or organization)
- Posts can range from a general question (e.g. “who is the right person for X?“) to an update or announcement (e.g. changes to procedures that impact all or most B Lab staff) to non-essential activities/events (e.g. announcing a brown bag or engagement activity open to all staff)
In most cases, if your post isn’t celebratory (b-celebration), JEDI related (jedi-conversations), relevant to a global audience (global-mvmt-building), or a work-related update (b-work-out-loud), it probably goes in b-convos.
As we clarify and specify the purposes of other channels, we may find increasingly less and less use for this "broad purpose" channel. We will revisit the use and purpose of this channel periodically.
Cross-posting in multiple channels:
It may occasionally be necessary to cross-post in multiple channels. Before cross-posting, take into consideration:
- Channel audiences: Do the different channels have the same audience? If so, what is gained by cross-posting?
- Posterity: Is there a value to having the content in multiple places (e.g. for historical record)?
Some examples of when cross-posting may be necessary:
- A JEDI initiative at B Lab is shared in an ERG channel and cross-posted in JEDI-conversations
- A strategic update is shared in a division channel and cross-posted in b-teams-out-loud for visibility across the organization
- Links to employee newsletters are shared in pops-announcements while we work to phase out that channel
OPTIONAL SLACK CHANNELS FOR ALL B LAB STAFF All of the following channels are public (open to all B Lab staff and global partner staff) and optional based on interest. Check them out, join those of interest to you, and let us know if you think we're missing a channel of interest to you! | ||
Channel Name | Purpose | Examples of what goes here |
#random | Space to connect with your colleagues (both B Lab and global partners) over non-work related banter! | Polling Tuesdays and other non-work related chitchat |
#ways-of-working (formerly blab-ownership-culture) | Space for conversation related to our ways of working, including ownership culture, supportive leadership, remote work, meeting practices, feedback culture | Questions and discussion! |
#wellness | Space for conversation related to your wellness as a B Lab employee. This is a safe venue for sharing on a topic that can be personal in nature; please be respectful of different views and experiences. | Resources, articles, or discussion on wellness-related topics |
#tech-tips | Space to share tech tips or ask tech-related questions | Tech troubleshooting, seeking or giving advice |
#prof-dev | Space for conversation related to professional development | Opportunities (e.g. speaking engagements) the customer service team receives, trainings someone comes across and wants to share, trainings related to ways of working |
#b-lab-parentals | Space for parents at B Lab! | Pictures of the kids in your life, tips for working from home with kiddos |
#pet-beebs | Space for pet parents at B Lab! | Pictures of the pets in your life |
#school-of-rock | Space for music lovers at B Lab | What are you listening to lately? Share with your colleagues! |
#donut-b-a-stranger | This is a great channel to join if you're interested in staying connected with your colleagues remotely! | This channel has a bot called Donut that will randomly pair everyone in the channel every 3 weeks to meet up and chat. |