Categories
Remote work

How to use Giphy in Slack

Utilising Slack, Teams or any other messaging software is now common for everyone. It’s not just reserved to startups or technology companies. Today we’ll take Slack as our main example. In order to master communication via Slack, you need to master the use of certain apps or extensions. The one I use everyday is Giphy, a GIF extension for Slack that makes it easy to search and publish GIF in channels. Why ? Because it’s either really funny, or illustrates perfectly what I want to say (better than a small emoji) or even because an image is sometimes worth a thousand words. That’s why we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.

1. Setting Up Giphy in Slack

First let’s see how to set up Giphy in your Slack workspace if you don’t have it yet. It’s a quick process, you need to visit Giphy page on Slack app directory (link here). Then click “Add to Slack”. 2 clicks later, you’re good to go! Giphy is now installed successfully.

Talking about Slack app, if you want to celebrate birthdays in Slack we have something for you and we just wrote an article about it: How to use birthday bot?

2. Using Giphy in Slack

Now that you’ve set up the extension, we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.

Note that you can send GIFs in any conversation using Giphy, either in public channels, private channels but also in direct messages.

Now how to search for a GIF ? Enter in the text prompt:
/giphy my search message
Then press enter, don’t worry the message won’t be posted like this. You can notice the “Only visible to you” mention.

ou’ll see a proposal of GIF and you’ll be offered 3 options: Send, Shuffle (to find another one), Cancel.

It’s time to play with the shuffle button until you see a GIF that you like.
Click send when you’re ready and that’s it. Your GIF is now posted for everyone to see it.

3. Best Practices for Using Giphy in Slack in a professional environment

Even though Giphy is mostly safe for work, I’d recommend a few best practises to make sure you’re acting in an appropriate manner in a professional environment.

First avoir offensive GIFs or images that can shock other people. Avoid of course the ones that are crude or sexually suggestive.

Make sure you don’t post too many GIFs or it can get overwhelming.

Those rules can seem basic but we’d better read them once in a while to make sure we’re not missing one.

Conclusion

We’ve seen how to use Giphy in Slack, from installation to usage, you’re now a pro!

Mastering the use of GIFs in Slack is important to make a point and to ease everyday communications. Also, it’s just fun, right ?! If this article was helpful, please drop a comment I’d be glad to read your mention.

Categories
Employee engagement

12 best work anniversary messages

Here we go again! Today is another work anniversary for one of your colleagues, and you’re out of inspiration for sending them a message. Since we are currently in the hype of ChatGPT, I won’t copy/paste what it could have said; instead, I’ll give you relevant prompts to use in order to create the best work anniversary messages!

Drafting the perfect prompt

Counter-intuitively, it is not an easy task. Every time you write a ChatGPT prompt, you need to be very specific to ensure that the results fit exactly what you expect for the employee work anniversary messages.

What is important for our matter (work anniversary celebration message) is to mention:

  • the hierarchy level between you and the person
  • how close you are to this person
  • the tone of the message (humorous, sarcastic, friendly, etc.)
  • whether or not the message will be seen by others (public channel vs. direct message)
  • (bonus point) ask ChatGPT for a fun fact about the work anniversary date

Additionally, it is best to ask ChatGPT for multiple results so that you can choose the one that best reflects the intention you’d like to convey, or pick parts from different results of happy work anniversary messages.

Let’s see that in practice!

Examples

Here are some examples of prompt and some examples of messages ChatGPT generated:

Example #1 – The basic one

Prompt

Write 7 short work anniversary celebration messages for me to send to Beth, a colleague who is 3+ hierarchy levels above me and in another department, with whom I’m not close at all. I have never met her in person. These messages will be sent directly to her through Slack. By the way, it’s her 3rd work anniversary.

Sample messages

  1. Congratulations on your 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🎉 Your hard work and dedication continue to inspire us all. Wishing you many more successful years at [company name]!
  2. Happy 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🌟 Your leadership and expertise have made a significant impact on our company. Here’s to many more years of growth and success!
  3. Wishing you a fantastic 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🎊 Your commitment to excellence is truly admirable. May you continue to lead and inspire us in the years to come.
  4. Happy 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🏆 Your guidance and dedication have been invaluable to our organization. Thank you for your hard work, and may you continue to achieve great things!
  5. Beth, congratulations on your 3rd work anniversary! 🎈 Your passion and drive for success have contributed greatly to [company name]. Here’s to many more years of accomplishments!
  6. Cheers to your 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🥂 Your unwavering commitment and leadership have played a vital role in our company’s progress. Wishing you continued success in your career!
  7. Happy 3rd work anniversary, Beth! 🎉 Your dedication and expertise have been a guiding light for our team. We’re grateful for your leadership and look forward to your continued achievements!

Example #2 – Max power

Prompt

Write me 5 work anniversary celebration messages I could send to Alex, a colleague who is at the same hierarchy level and with whom I’m really close, that will be posted in a public channel. Please use an humorous tone and include a fun fact related to the 18th of March.

Sample messages

  1. Hey Alex! Happy work anniversary! 🎉 Can’t believe it’s been another year of sharing office gossip and coffee runs together! Did you know that on this day in 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake? Well, at least our job isn’t that intense, right? 😂 Here’s to another year of surviving the daily grind together! Cheers! 🥂
  2. Happy workiversary, Alex! 🥳 On this day in 1965, the first-ever spacewalk took place, which is almost as groundbreaking as the day you joined our team! Thanks for all the laughs and friendship – looking forward to more interstellar adventures together in the office! To infinity and beyond! 🚀
  3. A massive shout-out to Alex on their work anniversary! 🎊 Did you know that on March 18, 1990, a major art heist happened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston? Well, you definitely stole our hearts right from the start! 😜 Let’s keep creating our own work of art together – cheers to another year of teamwork and camaraderie! 🎨
  4. Happy work anniversary, Alex! 🍾 Fun fact: On this day in 1850, American Express was founded. Just like their slogan, “Don’t leave home without it,” we wouldn’t want to work here without you! Thanks for being an invaluable partner in crime and for all the fun memories we’ve shared. Here’s to another year of growing, learning, and laughing together! 💳
  5. Hey Alex! It’s your work anniversary, and you know what that means – time for a little history lesson! On March 18, 1644, the third great plague pandemic began in China. But don’t worry, unlike that pandemic, your presence here has had only positive effects on our team! 😅 Thanks for being a fantastic colleague and friend. Let’s keep spreading good vibes and conquering the office world together. Cheers! 🍻

Conclusion

As you can see, the hardest part is fine-tuning the prompt you’re going to send to ChatGPT. The more precise you can be, the better the results will be. Keep in mind you can always ask for more variations and it can be used for remote office birthday as well. I hope this helps you avoid the blank page syndrome!

If you want to go further you can even set up a birthdaybot for slack, see this article for more details.

Cheers ✌️

Categories
Employee engagement

How to use birthday bot?

Introduction

Since COVID hit, companies all over the world have tried to find many ways to connect their employees and create camaraderie in this new remote environment. The most basic way of doing this is by celebrating employees’ birthdays and work anniversaries. Nothing is more appreciated by a co-worker than seeing their colleagues celebrate their birthday. But do you know how much of a pain it can be? You have to name someone in charge of it in the company who will connect daily to your HRIS tool to check whose birthday/work anniversary it is, write a lovely message, and post it in a given Slack channel. This process sounds like a waste of time, right? That’s where a birthday bot comes in!

So, what is a birthday bot?

A birthday bot (or bday bot) is a type of chatbot designed to help users celebrate birthdays. It is a program that can be integrated with messaging platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, and Facebook Messenger, and can be used to keep track of birthdays, send reminders, and even send automated birthday messages.

Installing a birthday bot

For the sake of the example, we’re going to pick Slack. Let’s visit the marketplace and search for a “birthday bot”:

Let’s install the first one on the list. They all have similar features. What’s cool about Billy (the market leader) is that it’s both the cheapest and most feature-rich option for Slack.

Let’s follow this installation process. Click Install from the marketplace:

Then, click Allow:

If you see this, congratulations! You have just installed your first birthday bot 🎉

Now, let’s get it configured!

Configuring the bot

From the previous screenshot, we can see the various settings available during the onboarding flow. Please keep in mind that all services work similarly, so what’s true for Billy is probably true for others.

So, you have:

  1. The channel in which you’d like the bot to send celebration messages.
  2. An option to opt-in for work anniversaries.
  3. The scope of the celebrations: all workspace members vs. channel members only.
  4. The birthdate collection method: automatic vs. manual.

Once you submit, it will redirect you to the bot’s full settings page:

We can discover three new settings:

  • Celebration time
  • Celebration language
  • Weekend management (D-day, Mondays, or Fridays)

We can also see that we can add Billy to multiple channels (in case we would like to use it in multiple sub-teams).

Note: When you add Billy to a channel, he will:

  1. Kindly introduce himself.
  2. (Only if you enabled the auto-collection of dates) Send a message to the relevant members depending on the scope you chose (all workspace members vs. channel members only).

Using the Birthday Bot

Now that the bday bot has been added to your first channel, let’s take a look at how to use it on a daily basis.

Filling out birthdates and work anniversary dates

If you look at your active channels in Billy’s settings, you will notice two buttons if some birthdays are missing:

If you click on the first button Ask 12 members, Billy will reach out to each member individually to remind them to fill out their birth date, telling them that you asked for it.

If you click on Import dates, It will provide you with an Excel file that you’ll have to fill out and send back to Billy’s through the chat.

Note: If you have enabled auto-collection, Billy will automatically reach out on an optimized schedule to collect dates by himself.

Personal settings

Previously, we only discussed the admin settings. Please note that only the person who installed Billy and the Slack workspace admins have access to those admin settings.

Now, let’s take a look at the personal settings:

We can see two different sections.

The first one is to fill out our birthdate and our work anniversary date. We can note two things:

  • The year is optional (each person can hide how old he/she is).
  • There is an opt-out option in case someone doesn’t want their birthday or work anniversary to be celebrated (indeed, some people are not comfortable with it).

The second one is the list of upcoming events. This is useful if someone wants to check someone else’s birthday/work anniversary or if you are an admin looking to check whether or not you inputted the right date!

Tips and Tricks

To ensure the best user experience for your Slack members, here is our recommendation on how to use a bday bot:

  1. Install it and import the birthdates and work anniversary dates of everyone.
  2. Turn on auto-collect so that whenever someone new joins the Slack workspace, Billy will automatically collect their information.

Conclusion

In this article, we saw how to install and configure a birthday bot, and how to use it on a daily basis. We really encourage you to test one of the available birthday bots on the market and observe the reactions of your teammates. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!

Last but not least: If you are using Slack and want to give Billy a try, here is a link to do so.

Let us know what your teams think of it in the comments!

Categories
Employee experience Remote work

How to Celebrate Your Birthday on Slack

Introduction

Slack has become one of the most popular communication platforms for teams, with its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other apps. One of the best features of Slack is its ability to bring people together, even when they are working remotely. Celebrating birthdays is an important part of any workplace culture, and Slack has made it easier than ever to do so. In this blog post, we will explore some of the ways you can celebrate your birthday on Slack.

Creating a Birthday Channel

One of the easiest ways to celebrate your birthday on Slack is to create a dedicated channel for the special events. This can be done by simply creating a new channel and naming it something like #celebrations. Once the channel is created, you can invite your colleagues to join in and share their wishes. You can also use this channel to post pictures of your celebration or any other birthday-related content.

Using a Slack Birthday Bot

Celebrating birthdays is not a built-in feature of Slack (see our other article about “does Slack notify birthdays“). You can use an app on Slack to celebrate your birthday. You can use Billy (The Birthday bot) for instance, simply install it in your workspace and you can set it up to post in the channel of your choice (the #celebrations one for instance). This way it will post the wishes reminder for you.

Virtual Celebrations

If you are working remotely, celebrating your birthday on Slack may be the best option. You can set up a virtual celebration by scheduling a video call with your colleagues and using a conferencing app like Zoom or Google Meet. You can also use Slack’s built-in video calling feature to connect with your colleagues and celebrate together. You can use this time to play games, share stories, or just catch up with each other.

Conclusion

Overall, there are many ways to celebrate your birthday on Slack, whether you are working in the office or remotely. Creating a dedicated channel, using Billy Birthday, and scheduling a virtual celebration are just a few of the ways you can bring your colleagues together to celebrate your special day. Celebrating your birthday on Slack is a great way to build team morale and strengthen workplace relationships.

Categories
Employee engagement

Does Slack notify birthdays?

Slack is one of the most popular communication platforms in the world. It is used by teams and organizations globally to collaborate and communicate efficiently. One of the most frequently asked questions about Slack is whether it notifies users about birthdays. In this blog post, we will answer this question and explore other related topics.

Does Slack notify birthdays?

The short answer is no. Slack does not notify users about birthdays. It is not one of the default features of the platform. However, there are ways to receive notifications about birthdays on Slack. Third-party applications such as Billy can be used to set up birthday reminders. By integrating these applications with Slack, you can receive notifications about birthdays in your Slack channel.

How to celebrate birthdays on Slack?

To set up birthday reminders on Slack, you need to follow these steps:

  • Install Billy (The birthday bot)
  • Select a Slack channel where celebration messages should be posted
  • Choose the time for the birthday reminders
  • Select a method to collect the dates (either manual import or automatic)

Once you have set up Billy you will see birthday celebrations in your Slack channel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Slack does not notify users about birthdays by default. However, there are ways to receive reminders about birthdays on Slack. By using third-party applications such as Billy, you can set up birthday reminders and receive notifications in your Slack channel. Birthday reminders can be a great way to show your colleagues that you care and appreciate them on their special day.

Categories
Employee engagement

How to automate birthdays in slack in 2023

There are few things more frustrating than forgetting a birthday. Whether it’s a coworker, family member, or close friend, forgetting someone’s special day can leave you feeling guilty and thoughtless.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to avoid this issue altogether: by automating birthday reminders in Slack! Here’s how to automate birthdays in slack in 2023.

Why it’s important to send birthday wishes to employees and colleagues

Wishing birthdays in Slack is something everybody does. It’s the most simple and natural thing to do, not mentioning that it is totally cross-cultural and done all across the globe. You can learn more on why it’s important to celebrate employee’s birthdays in this article.


It’s a great way to celebrate your employees, build a culture of recognition and increase employee engagement.

When your team scales, you’ll want to find a way to simplify and automate the process of birthday notifications and celebrations. But when it comes to putting it in practise you’ll soon find out that there are very few solutions out there to automate birthday messages for your team.

How to automate birthday wishes in slack

With Billy Birthday, there’s no excuse for forgetting a birthday ever again! By following these simple steps, you can set up automated messages and reminders that will help you keep track of all the special days. So go ahead and give it a try! Here’s how to do it:

  1. Install Billy Birthday by clicking “Add to Slack” on this page.
  2. Authorizing the app to access your Slack account.
  3. You’ll be taken to a page where you can customize your settings.
    Choose a slack channel for the messages, select if you want to celebrate work anniversaries, update posting times, and select which birth date collection method you’d like (either automatic, the bot will ask the users their birthday or manual with a spreadsheet where you can enter birthdays in bulk)
  4. That’s it! Billy Birthday will automatically post birthday celebration messages to your team in the channel you’ve selected.

By following these simple steps, you can easily automate the process of tracking employee birthdays and anniversaries using Slack. This will free up your time so that you can focus on other important tasks and make sure that no one’s special day goes unnoticed.

Categories
Employee experience

Using Slack to Celebrate Employee Birthdays in 2023

Birthdays are a special occasion and a great opportunity to show your employees that you care. In 2023, celebrating birthdays in the workplace will look quite different from how it did prior to the pandemic. With many companies still working remotely, there is an increased need for virtual communication tools like Slack to help bring everyone together and make birthdays extra special. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to use Slack for birthday wishes this year.

Birthday Channels

Creating a birthday channel on your company’s Slack workspace is one of the most effective ways to celebrate employee birthdays. This gives everyone in the company a dedicated space to post happy birthday messages, funny memes, and other celebratory content. It also encourages camaraderie by bringing people together who might not otherwise interact regularly on Slack. Plus, it’s just plain fun!

Birthday Bot

Another great way to make sure no one misses an employee’s birthday is by using a Slack app to automate it like Billy Birthday. This bot can be set up so that it automatically sends out notifications when someone’s birthday is coming up. This ensures that all of your employees get their due recognition on their special day without any extra effort or manual tracking required from HR staff or managers.

Virtual Gatherings

Finally, what better way to celebrate someone’s birthday than with a virtual gathering? Use Slack to send out invites for an online video call where team members can chat and catch up while they share cake (or cupcakes!). Virtual gatherings can provide much-needed social interaction during these times of remote work, while still allowing people to maintain social distancing protocols as needed.

Celebrating birthdays in the age of digitalization has its challenges – but also plenty of opportunities! By utilizing tools like Slack channels and bots, HR teams can ensure that no employee goes unnoticed on their special day while also creating meaningful connections between colleagues who may not have interacted before now. Whether you opt for virtual gatherings or simple messages sent through Slack – there are limitless possibilities for making birthdays even more special in 2021!

Categories
Employee engagement

How to avoid quiet quitting in your company – the hard truth

Does it feel like an increasing number of your employees are less engaged or you’re wondering if they work at all? If so, you may be dealing with a phenomenon known as “quiet quitting.” This is when an employee chooses to leave their job without formally notifying their employer. It’s a serious problem that can be difficult to address and can have a negative impact on your business. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can prevent quiet quitting in your company.

Understand Why Employees Are Quietly Quitting


The first step in addressing any issue is understanding why it’s happening. Generally speaking, there are three main reasons why employees choose to quietly quit their jobs: feeling undervalued or unappreciated, lack of career growth opportunities, or dissatisfaction with management or the work environment. Of course, the root causes of these issues will vary from employee to employee and it’s important to try to get to the bottom of each individual case if possible.

Identify Problem Areas


Once you understand why people are quietly quitting, you’ll need to identify any problem areas that could be causing these issues and take steps to address them. For example, if employees feel like they’re not being appreciated enough for their contributions, it might be worth implementing a recognition program that rewards hard work and commitment (checkout our article about must-haves for a better employee engagement). Or if employees find the work environment too stressful or lacking in resources, consider making changes such as hiring additional staff or providing more training opportunities.

Improve Communication


Finally, one of the best things you can do is create an open dialogue between yourself and your current and prospective employees so that everyone feels comfortable expressing their concerns without fear of judgment or repercussions. This means having frequent check-ins with team members about how they’re feeling and what needs to be improved upon within the company culture. You should also make sure that all new hires are aware of all available resources such as employee assistance programs and other benefits when they start at your organization—this way they know where to turn if ever they experience any kind of difficulty during their time at your company.

No one likes dealing with quiet quitting in their workplace—it’s a sign that something isn’t quite right within your organization. That said, there are steps you can take to help prevent this kind of behavior from happening by understanding why people choose this route in the first place and then addressing any underlying issues that could be causing it. Additionally, improving communication between yourself and your staff is essential if you want to create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected while working together towards common goals. Taking these steps may not guarantee that quiet quitting won’t happen again but it will certainly reduce its likelihood in the future!

Categories
Remote work

Connecting with a Remote Team: A Practical Guide

Working with remote teams can present unique challenges, but it can also be a rewarding experience. With the right tools and strategies, connecting with remote teams is not only possible but highly beneficial. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to foster strong connections and collaborations with your remote team.

Establish Clear Expectations


When working with a remote team, it’s important to set clear expectations from the start. Make sure that everyone on the team is aware of their individual roles and responsibilities and what is expected of them. Make sure that everyone is held accountable for their performance by setting deadlines and goals that are achievable and measurable. This will help create an environment of trust between all members of the team and make it easier to work together smoothly.

Communication Is Key


Communication is key when it comes to connecting with a remote team. It’s important to have regular check-ins to ensure that everyone is on track and up-to-date on any new developments or changes in plans. Use video conferencing or chat platforms so that your team has an opportunity to connect face-to-face at least once a week. Setting up virtual office hours where everyone can come together for an hour or two each week can also help build camaraderie among your remote staff members. Make sure that everyone feels comfortable speaking up during these meetings so that all ideas are heard, shared, and discussed in an open forum.

Incentivize Collaboration


Encouraging collaboration between your remote staff members will help foster stronger connections within the group. Offer incentives for collaboration such as rewards for completing projects together or recognizing individuals who excel when working as part of a team. You could also consider offering bonuses for completing tasks ahead of schedule or creating collaborative learning opportunities where your staff can learn from one another while working on projects together. These types of incentives will help encourage strong collaboration within the group which can lead to improved results overall!

Special tip from us

The best effort / impact to boost communication and team cohesion is to install Billy Birthday Slack app. Posting celebration messages regularly has a huge impact on the teams.

Connecting with a remote team may pose some unique challenges but it doesn’t have to be intimidating or overwhelming! By establishing clear expectations upfront, implementing effective communication strategies, and incentivizing collaboration you’ll be able to create stronger connections within your remote team quickly and easily! With the right tools in place you’ll be able to optimize productivity while fostering strong relationships among all members of your team! For more details about managing a remote team, checkout our article about 3 tips for managing a remote team.

Categories
Employee engagement

5 Must-Haves to Increase Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is essential for any business to succeed. It is important to provide an environment that employees feel supported, encouraged, and motivated in. Here are five must-haves to increase employee engagement that can help create a positive work environment.

  1. Open Communication – Good communication between managers and their employees is paramount in fostering a positive work environment. Managers should make sure they are actively listening to their employees’ concerns and feedback and responding in a timely manner. This will show the employees that their opinions matter and will lead to higher levels of engagement.
  2. Flexible Work Schedules – Offering more flexible work schedules can help increase employee engagement by giving them more control over when they can take time off or complete tasks on their own schedule. Allowing employees the freedom to decide when they want to work makes them feel valued and respected by their employers, which leads to higher job satisfaction and productivity.
  3. Clear Expectations – Establishing clear expectations from the start is key for creating an environment where employees know what is expected of them and how they can reach their goals. This will help keep everyone focused on achieving the same goal while still allowing individuals some autonomy over how they get there.
  4. Team Building Activities – Team building activities are a great way to build relationships among coworkers as well as foster collaboration between departments or teams within the company. These activities give everyone a chance to bond outside of work, which helps create a friendly atmosphere that encourages people to come together in order to achieve common goals.
  5. Recognition – Recognizing your team’s accomplishments is an important part of increasing employee engagement, as it shows appreciation for hard work and dedication while motivating others to strive for excellence too. Whether it’s something small like sending out a “thank you” email or something bigger like hosting an awards ceremony or sending a public shoutout/kudo, recognizing your team’s efforts will show them how much you value them and foster a sense of community within the workplace.
    There are also simple things to put in place such as birthday celebrations or work anniversary messages. Billy birthday can help you automate these last 2 examples. Its honestly one of the best effort/impact ration for your employees. It has a free plan for small businesses and startups.

Creating an engaged workforce requires investment from all members of the organization, from upper management all the way down through individual team members themselves! Implementing these five must-haves into your organization’s culture can help increase employee engagement, leading to higher levels of productivity as well as improved customer service—ultimately resulting in better results for your business! With these tips in mind, you can set yourself up for success by creating an environment where everyone feels supported and appreciated!

For more ideas, please check our article about the Top 5 initiatives for a better Employee Experience