Follow these Ethics for Better Communication on Your WhatsApp Work Group
Published By:
It’s 2 a.m. and your phone beeps . It shows that you’ve got a message from your colleague or subordinate that he won’t be in tomorrow. How does it feel? Doesn’t it feel like you’re still in office and not in your bed?
You may avoid it once or twice but eventually it gets on your nerve. As much as the data penetration has made our lives easier and more comfortable, it has also made all of us mechanical for 24*7. The pertinent point is what is not so ‘cool’ here is – people’s etiquette. 2 a.m. messages on work group, seriously?
Taking a note of this problem, Entrepreneur India discussed it with a few entrepreneurs and consultants about this and they shared some ethics to be followed by everyone on work group chats.
Here’s what and how one should communicate on group chats:
What to Say & What Not to Say
Since WhatsApp has its more than 1 billion active users in India, a lot of companies have now barged in on social app for official conversations. As much as we all have friends’ groups on WhatsApp, we have our 24*7 beeping work groups for everyone to be involved in team work. It does work better for team building, employee engagement and for efficient workflow. But a lot of times, some of us are very impulsive on these groups and a few of us shy away to share ideas. Why? It’s because we are overly confused in ourselves what to say and what not to say or when to say.
Pooja Bajaj, a consultant and the founder of Extra Mile, who is best known for her magical approach to employee engagement, advised that never, ever, ever converse with any one member too much, or about something personal or respond with one-word replies. Instead be subjective yet concise with your replies on your any question.
Not only Google, but Bajaj is known for her different campaigns and employee engagement activities at JSW, Voltas, Aditya Birla Group among other prestigious leaders in the industry.
List of Phrases not to be used are:
- K. (Come on! This is two way conversation.)
- Do.Not. Say. Good Morning. (Say it to them personally and brighten their day!)
- Hey! I really enjoyed last night’s game. Didn’t think Brazil would win. (Why?!)
Do You Have to Reply on Every Message?
When the messages keep popping up on your phone’s home screen, it does come to our mind of replying to them. But what if it is not directed to you? Should you indulge in that conversation or should you not? Founder of iCubesWire, Sahil Chopra said, “While it is polite to respond to the Whatsapp messages sent on the office group, one should not go overboard with it. If it is directed towards a particular employee, it is better for the concerned person to reply. However, when it is about congratulating someone, wishing someone, sharing a piece of good news, etc. one should make it a point to address it and share their wishes too. Receiving wishes from various people does make one happy, therefore, participating in sending out wishes to an employee should be practiced often.”
How to Exit the Work Group?
Whenever we quit the company, we all think a lot about how to exit on the whatsapp work group. According to Bajaj, it’s more like a social media detox. She said, “There are ways and then there are ways, but no polite way really. The best way to go about this would be to state a polite reason for exiting.”
While Bajaj advised was to politely exit, Chopra added that exiting the group without a reason is unprofessional, unless you quit the company. Even if one leaves an organisation he should send his regards to everyone before exiting the group.
