Picking Up the Slack: Staff Create Online Communities
Whether sharing where to score free food on campus or posting photos of furry friends, College staff are bridging the gap between departments through a number of Slack channels. The online platform allows people to connect with each other by joining channels that can be for professional matters or entertainment, allowing for a broader mode of communication among departments. Kellie Fuller (HR) said, “I have been at the College for fifteen and a half years, so I know lots of people and love keeping those connections. Slack lets me keep a pulse on the community and areas beyond just my own job.”
When browsing through all of the channels to join, users are met with a broad range of communities; #chuckslist is the place for people to swap items at no cost, #goodnewsdaily is the place to brighten everyone’s day with a positive news story, and #whereshouldIeat is the forum to share all the best local lunch spots around the College. There is truly something for everyone. When utilizing Slack to manage professional tasks and connections, users can sprinkle in more fun channels and find staff who have the same interests.
A lot of the staff have experienced the pandemic together, all having to shift to a new version of work life, and Slack has been a big part of the adjustment. The #goodnewsdaily channel was created by Tess Wilensky (HR) who shared the motivation behind one of the most popular Emerson slack channels: “I started the #goodnewsdaily channel in the height of the COVID shutdown….I just wanted a place where people could share good news (worldly or personal) to start adding more joy into people’s days.” Many Slack users have shared their appreciation of the platform, as it helps them bond and share in a way that working from home or being stationed in different buildings doesn’t necessarily allow.
The wide range of topics is a valuable asset to Emerson’s Slack community. Users have the ability to select which channels they want to be a part of based on their interest, and in that find other people who share those commonalities. Emerson staff have explored a wide variety of topics, whether that be #pizza, #wordle, or #starwars. “It’s fun to talk with fellow #wordnerds about ‘our beautiful, imperfect language.’ It’s lovely to see people give away things that they no longer need to delighted new owners in #chuckslist. And #statuspage lets us know what’s up (or temporarily down)!” said Elena O’Malley (Iwasaki Library).
Although some channels offer niche content, #emersonpets reigns as one of the most popular channels among Emerson staff. This is the hub for adorable pet photos, advice, memes, and anything in between. Started by Christina Dent (Iwasaki Library) in 2017, she explained how the Pet Wall that once flourished during Emerson’s library rennovation transitioned to the digital space we know it in today: “I started printing out pictures of my cats and then asked other Library staff if they wanted to post pictures on the Pet Wall. Soon, we were also getting pictures from other staff all over the College. So, in a sense, #emersonpets started as an analog version first. Once construction was completed, the particle board came down, along with those pictures. And I thought it would be great to recreate a digital version of the Pet Wall.” This transition is the perfect example of not only the flexibility of the staff to the changing times, but also the adaptability and ease that Slack has to offer.
Now, five years later, #emersonpets is still going strong and was recently full of staff sharing their best Halloween pet pictures. “The channel also seems like a place where new staff members introduce themselves, and their pets, to the community. I love seeing that because quite frequently the conversations continue beyond the ‘Welcome to Emerson’ to conversations and recommendations about groomers, dog walkers, preferred treats, wacky pet behavior, etc. To me, it gives new staff the opportunity to really experience Emerson as more than a workplace; it’s a community,” said Dent.
Staff can choose to participate in channels like #language-learners, #whats-cookin, #sustainability, and #wordnerds to expand their knowledge, or opt in for a more relaxed conversation in #wordle or #pizza. No matter what avenue in Slack you choose to take, it offers an opportunity to connect with fellow coworkers. “I really like to connect with other Emersonians in fun, goofy ways—especially with people I might not necessarily work with—and this was just another avenue to facilitate that,” said Wilensky.
Camryn Ciancia, Fall ’23