Over nearly three decades of remote development work and team management, I’ve realized the importance of intentional communication for effective teamwork. Drawing from my experience with Rock River Star, a remote workplace must emulate aspects of a physical one. For instance, if a group of developers would typically exchange nerdy jokes or discuss football in person, their chosen remote communication platforms should support such casual interactions.

These seemingly inconsequential conversations actually serve a vital purpose: they foster human connection and facilitate work-related communication. Using chat applications like Slack, Teams, or HipChat for more than just addressing work questions helps build interpersonal relationships among team members. This foundation allows for better understanding and trust when tackling work issues.

So, our communication tools need to not only cater to business needs but also promote camaraderie within teams. By nurturing open channels for what would otherwise be osmotic communication—like overhearing a coworker’s conversation and chiming in with valuable input—we can create organic opportunities for collaboration in a virtual environment.
As if we were all in the same room, practicing sharing mundane details of life, like those exchanged during a workday or over the water cooler, is essential. Some tools are better suited for this purpose than others. Based on my experience, Slack is an excellent tool for encouraging casual team-building information sharing. Its structure allows threads to expand on a single message, and surprisingly, the customization of emojis helps create a unique culture within individual workspaces.

I can assure you that if you visit ten different workplaces using Slack, you’ll find distinct uses of emojis, contributing to their work culture in an organic and authentic way. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams falls short in building teams through organic and osmotic communication. While its focus on getting work done is understandable from an executive perspective, it lacks many aspects that make Slack successful.

Threading in Teams is quite dreadful, and fostering organic communities is challenging. Despite its name suggesting otherwise, Teams struggles with forming groups centered around specific goals or topics. Additionally, its hardcoded emoji capabilities hinder users from customizing them to suit their culture or mindset. This often leads to confusion when trying to decipher the intended meaning behind a chosen emoji.

In summary, while some tools excel at promoting casual communication and team-building, others fall short in providing the necessary features for fostering an organic and authentic work environment.

I’ve reached a conclusion that some tools excel at remote communication while others, like Microsoft Teams, fall short. It attempts to do too much and misses the mark on features that would genuinely enhance team effectiveness. It’s crucial for managers and executives to recognize the importance of communication as a key component of business success. They should invest in a tool that best supports remote employees’ communication needs, rather than settling for subpar options.