Best Practices for Instant Messaging at Work

Instant messaging has become one of the most convenient ways for employees to keep in touch, communicate, update amongst themselves.

It has become popular at the beginning of the decade and since then more and more companies are adopting it as a de facto medium of internal as well as external, communication.

The benefits of the tools are obvious. It decreases needless, back and forth phone calls, emails, and removes miscommunications. It offers an immediate clear resolution to business concerns that may have lingered.

However, there is a major problem. These systems can create communication silos where teams who are highly integrated into one platform are unable to communicate with another department using a different platform. Easy communication also breeds distraction and informality where many times inappropriate personal details are shared. 

Some practices that can be adopted to minimize this 

Adopt tools that employees are already using: rather than building up with a new IM platform, companies should build upon what the employees are using and like. This includes identifying the ones people are using and selecting the one that is popular and most suited for the organization. Modify the chosen platform to suit the company requirements, set up policies for appropriate use, archiving, and safekeeping. Also, educate the managers on the use and risk factors, keep HR updated on the use of a new platform for communication. 

Embrace all kinds of IM platforms but set the ground rules:  IM platforms can be distracting especially if it becomes a repository of GIFs, jokes, debates over interesting events - sports, TV, movies etc., It can also become the channel for bullying, abuses, harassment. There are benefits to people about messaging on non-official topics. It creates a camaraderie, a bonding and people are more likely to stay on when they have friends in the organization.

To reap the benefits of these tools, while minimizing the risks of employee distraction, companies should clearly define expectations for messaging. This should be clearly communicated to the current staff and to new employees at the time of onboarding. HR teams should be trained on the protocols for addressing complaints and concerns. 

Respect work/life balance:  IM systems allow us to reach out to our colleagues, bosses at any time in a way that might seem more urgent than email. Unless the message is time-sensitive, this should be avoided and it should be sent out the next day when the office resumes. You might send out the message with good intentions but the recipient may interpret it as urgent and sacrifice his personal time to attend to the message. 

One way to get around this is to encourage everyone to logoff the IM system at the end of the day and to respect out-of-office messages. Everyone should be made aware that most communications should take place during office hours and be short and to the point. 

Promote face-to-face communication: Digital messages can be confusing sometimes. A message can be interpreted as encouraging or discouraging. This would be difficult to understand unless you meet the sender in person. it is important to ensure face to face communication, one-on-one meetings, team meetings, department get-togethers, and in case of remote teams at least a video conferencing with a periodical personal meetings. 

Following these steps while implementing an IM platform would prove beneficial to the workplace rather than a nuisance.  

Best Practices for Instant Messaging at
Work by Dustin York HBR March 11, 2020