An update goes into Teams.
Someone replies by email.
A quick conversation takes place on WhatsApp.
By the time a decision has been made, three people have different versions of what is happening. Someone else knew nothing about it.
Sound familiar?
We have plenty of ways to communicate at work. What we do not always have is agreement about which one to use, what people are expected to check and where the final answer will be recorded.
That can make a fairly straightforward working day harder than it needs to be.
How do teams end up with so many communication channels?
Usually, it happens gradually.
Email is already there. Teams arrives. A group chat is set up for a particular project. Someone creates a WhatsApp group because it is convenient.
Each addition makes sense at the time. But the team may never stop to discuss how everything fits together.
People develop their own habits.
One person checks email regularly but rarely looks at chat. Another assumes everyone sees Teams notifications. Someone else picks up the phone because they need an answer.
The difficulty comes when we assume our colleagues work in the same way.
Start with what is causing frustration
Before agreeing new ways of working, ask people what is happening now.
Useful questions include:
Where do you usually look for an update?
Which messages interrupt you most?
When have you missed something because it appeared somewhere unexpected?
Where do you look for a decision?
What do you feel you are expected to respond to straight away?
Ask for examples. “Our communication is poor” is difficult to do much with.
“I spent twenty minutes looking for a decision that had been made in a chat I wasn’t part of” gives you something specific to address.
It is also worth asking what already works well. You may have some useful habits that simply need to be shared more widely.
Agree what each channel is for
There is no single arrangement that will suit every team.
A team covering a busy service will have different needs from people working on projects with longer deadlines. Colleagues on shifts may need a different approach from those working regular office hours.
Start with the work you need to do, using the channels approved by your organisation.
For example, you might agree:
Email: requests or updates that need context and can wait for a response.
Teams chat: a short question or quick exchange during working hours.
A shared project channel or document: information that several people need to find again.
A phone call or agreed duty contact: something that needs attention urgently.
A meeting: a discussion where people need to work through an issue or reach a decision together.
These are starting points for a conversation. The important thing is that your team understands the arrangement and can use it.
Be clear about WhatsApp
If your team uses WhatsApp, it deserves an explicit conversation.
Is it an agreed work channel or a social group? Is everyone expected to join? Are people using personal phones? What happens when someone is off work or chooses not to be in the group?
Follow your organisation’s policies on approved tools and the information that can be shared.
From a teamwork point of view, avoid allowing important instructions or decisions to depend on membership of an informal group.
People need a reliable way to access the information required to do their job.
Agree what “urgent” actually means
One person’s urgent message may be another person’s routine request.
Without an agreement, people can feel they need to keep checking everything, just in case.
Talk about:
What needs attention immediately?
What can wait until later in the day?
What can wait until someone’s next working day?
How should an urgent issue be raised?
Who should be contacted if the usual person is unavailable?
For example, a problem affecting today’s service may need a call to the duty colleague. A request for comments on next month’s agenda probably does not.
Writing “urgent” in a subject line is less useful than explaining what is needed, by when and why.
Make response expectations realistic
Sending a message takes a moment. Answering it may take considerably longer.
The recipient could be in a meeting, supporting a customer, working on something that needs concentration or simply not working that day.
Agree what a reasonable response looks like for your team.
That might include acknowledging a request before providing a full answer, or making it clear that routine messages can wait until someone is next at work.
Check that expectations fit different roles and working patterns. An agreement that works for the manager may not work for everyone else.
Make the message itself easier to act on
Choosing the right channel is only part of it. The message still needs to make sense.
Compare:
“Any thoughts on this?”
With:
“Please check the proposed dates and let me know by Thursday if any clash with your team’s commitments. I’ll confirm the schedule on Friday.”
The second message gives people a much clearer idea of what to do.
Before sending something, check:
What am I asking this person to do?
Have I included the information they need?
Is the deadline clear?
Do they need to respond, or are they being kept informed?
If you are copying someone in, a short explanation can help: “For information only” or “Please check the costs before we approve this.”
Give decisions a clear home
A discussion can happen in several places. The outcome needs to be easy to find.
Otherwise, people end up scrolling through messages trying to work out whether something was a suggestion, a question or a final decision.
Agree where you will record:
What was decided.
Who is responsible for the next step.
Any relevant deadline.
Where supporting information is kept.
This could be an existing project document, action log or shared team space.
Someone should take responsibility for recording the outcome and letting the relevant people know. A decision made during a call is not much use to a colleague who needs it but was not on the call.
Managers need to use the agreement too
Managers influence what people think is expected.
If the team agrees to keep decisions in a shared log, but the manager continues to make them through private messages, people will soon return to checking everywhere.
The same applies to response times.
A manager might send a message in the evening because that suits their working pattern. A colleague might interpret it as something they should answer immediately.
Make the expectation clear. Consider scheduling routine messages for the recipient’s working hours where that helps.
It is also useful for managers to ask:
“Is there anything about the way I communicate that makes your work harder?”
Then give people room to answer.
Put a few agreements in writing
A short working agreement can help turn the discussion into something people can refer to.
For example:
We will put project updates in the agreed shared channel.
We will make requests and deadlines clear.
We will use the duty contact for urgent service issues.
We will record decisions and action owners in the team log.
We will respect colleagues’ working hours when expecting a response.
Choose a few commitments that address your actual problems.
Before finishing, check that everyone understands them and has the access, time and support needed to follow them.
Try it, then revisit it
Put a review date in the diary, perhaps after four weeks.
Ask:
Are people finding information more easily?
Are requests clearer?
Are we missing fewer updates?
Has anything become more complicated?
What needs adjusting?
Revisit the agreement when people join, roles change or the team introduces another tool.
The aim is to make everyday work easier. If an agreement is getting in the way, talk about it and change it.
A practical resource to help you start
My Team Working Agreement Toolkit includes a workshop plan, discussion prompts, a worked example and templates for creating and reviewing your agreement.
You can use it to start a conversation about communication, meetings, decisions and how you work together.
Download the toolkit from my resources page.
Would your team benefit from some support?
If messages, meetings and unclear expectations are becoming a regular frustration, I deliver practical communication training for teams and managers.
When the Messages Never Stop gives people time to look at their current habits and agree useful changes.
I am based in Manchester and work with organisations across the UK, online and in person.
Find out more about communication training, or email me to discuss your team.
Frequently asked questions
Should we use email or Teams for work messages?
It depends on the purpose and how your team works. Agree where different kinds of requests and updates belong, then make sure everyone understands the arrangement. Think about how easily people will be able to find the information later.
Should staff be expected to check every communication channel?
Be clear about which channels are required for each role and when people are expected to check them. If information is regularly missed, review the arrangement with the team rather than assuming everyone needs more notifications.
How can we reduce unnecessary messages?
Start by making requests clearer, checking who needs to receive them and agreeing where updates belong. Avoid sending the same request through several channels unless there is a clear reason.
What should a team communication agreement include?
Useful areas include which channels to use, response expectations, urgent contact arrangements, meeting habits and where decisions will be recorded. Focus on the issues your team needs to resolve.
How often should we review the agreement?
Review it after an initial trial, then revisit it when working arrangements change or familiar problems return. A short discussion during a team meeting may be enough.