Even if many people have been working from home for almost a year sometimes we can all use a refresher on appropriate ways to request help from others in asynchronous communications channels. This is broadly applicable to work, event organizing, volunteer groups, etc.
DONâT stop at âHiâ or âCan you help with something?â
Messaging someone for help but not including what you need help with in the first message is not respectful of their time. The person receiving the message may be juggling multiple issues at once, walking their dog, commuting, etc. Itâs mutually beneficial to get straight to the point so that your issue can be addressed quickly and they are not waiting around for the actual question.
DONâT use direct messages
If multiple people may be able to answer your question use an appropriate channel for that. Again, this is mutually beneficial. This isnât putting a specific person on the hook to deal with your issue plus it increases visibility to the issue you are having.
DONâT skip documented process
Make sure to use the appropriate channels for interacting with the person or group. If they specifically request all help requests go through a specific channel or email group make sure to follow their lead. Itâs a pain being on the receiving end of someone asking for things via side channels.
DONâT leave out context
Context is important. Remember to include both the context you think is important in the initial help request and the context that is expected from you when you are asking for help. If you message someone saying âHelp, this door is stuck, please help!â theyâll need to know where you are and what door is stuck.
Likewise, if the person you messaged sends you a series of questions so they can get up to speed, donât expect help until you fill in all the blanks.
DONâT cry wolf
Donât be the person who acts like every one of your problems is incredibly urgent, especially if you canât be bothered filling in context. It may be urgent to you, but if the person on the other end doesnât even know whatâs going on itâs not going to be urgent for them, especially if this happens more than once.
DONâT tell someone to get details in a call
If a problem is not urgent enough to warrant a direct phone call then it is absolutely not urgent enough to message someone to just tell them to get in a conference call. If there is already an ongoing conference call that they should join make sure they can easily access that call but include context in the message. Itâs easier to get up to speed if the problem has been formally written than by derailing an ongoing conversation just to ask to catch up. This helps everyone involved.
DONâT at people at during their off hours
Most people donât want to have their personal time interrupted, especially by something that can wait. A lot of us donât turn on Do Not Disturb during their entire off hours though, just in case something urgent comes up. Be careful about ating folks outside of their typical work / participation time.
This can be a little tricky for organizations outside of the office. Folks frequently have different schedules and different times when they are likely to want to respond. This may require reading the room a bit. My go to move is to use their name in the message but not ating them, but each situation may be a little different.
Chat Etiquette
Etiquette and being polite is much more than social niceties. A key element is being respectful of others and their time. Just remember to be kind, polite, and that every other person on the planet has their own life with their own busy schedules and you should be fine.