Slack has become the beating heart of many modern organizations—but using it well requires intentionality. That’s why we launched our 4-part Slack Best Practices interview series: to learn from People leaders, community builders, and culture champions who are shaping the future of digital workplaces.
Across these conversations, we explored remote culture, communication strategies, asynchronous collaboration, and inclusive communities. Together, they form a practical guide for leaders and teams who want to make Slack not just a chat tool, but a culture engine.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Building a Remote Culture with Carol Paddison
Carol Paddison, is the former Head of People at GivePanel, a SaaS company supporting nonprofits with social fundraising. Today, she is Co-Founder and Fractional HR Leader at Fractional Human Resources. She has frequently been at the forefront of scaling a fully remote, international team. Carol gives us some actionable advice on how to reduce team burn out and fatigue in a fully remote culture.
During her interview, she highlights:
- How rituals and recognition moments strengthen belonging.
- Why trust and transparency are the lifeblood of remote cultures.
- Tactics for weaving culture into everyday Slack interactions, rather than treating it as an HR side project.’
Carol emphasizes that remote culture doesn’t “just happen.” Leaders must design and reinforce behaviors daily, and Slack is where much of that reinforcement occurs.
Part 2: Optimizing Communication and Engagement with Olya Yakzhina
Olya Yakzhina led People Operations at Work.Life, a company devoted to flexible coworking spaces and community-driven work environments. In her role, she has scaled internal culture for hybrid teams balancing in-person and remote collaboration. We got with Olya to discuss how her team uses Slack to build healthy habits around internal communication.
Olya gives us some very interesting advice on how to create a set of standards and healthy barriers inside of Slack to promote wellbeing and general mental wellness across your remote team.
In this conversation, Olya shares:
- Why setting clear communication norms in Slack is critical for hybrid teams.
- How structure and expectation-setting foster psychological safety.
- Small, intentional practices that make employees feel connected even when they’re scattered.
Her lens is practical: People Ops teams often carry the burden of both compliance and culture, and Olya shows how Slack can bridge the two.
Part 3: Building Async Culture with Jacob Gross
Jacob Gross, the Senior Community Marketing Manager at Slack, is a Slack insider who has worked closely with community teams and user groups. He understands both the product philosophy and the real-world practices of asynchronous work.
Jacob teaches us how to build an intentional asynchronous culture inside of Slack from the ground up.
In this interview, Jacob dives into:
- How async norms reduce burnout and enable deep work.
- The role of channel design and documentation in async communication.
- Why Slack’s async capabilities (threads, reminders, integrations) are under-utilized—and how teams can unlock them.
Jacob reframes async culture as a leadership opportunity: it’s not about fewer meetings, but about empowering autonomy and accountability.
Part 4: Inclusive Slack Communities with Joel Primack
Joel Primack is a community strategist and host of the Community-Led Growth Show, where he interviews leaders building strong, engaged communities. His perspective is rooted in inclusion, accessibility, and community health.
Joel gives us insights into how to develop a Slack culture that is aware of inclusion and psychological safety.
In this conversation, Joel explores:
- How to design Slack spaces that are welcoming and inclusive from day one.
- Why moderation and leadership presence matter in shaping tone.
- Practical tools and tactics for making sure every voice gets heard, not just the loudest.
For organizations where Slack is not just internal comms but a true community hub (e.g., customer or partner communities), Joel’s insights are invaluable.
Meet the Host, Abigail Caldwell
This series is hosted by Abigail Caldwell, a seasoned People Operations and HR professional with nearly a decade of experience. Abigail has worked with multiple startups and fast-scaling companies, where she’s been instrumental in building People Operations functions from the ground up.
Her expertise lies in helping companies that have never had formal People Ops processes before—kickstarting, maturing, and embedding the systems that allow culture to scale alongside growth. Beyond process, Abigail is deeply passionate about supporting teams through change, ensuring that employees feel seen and valued during every stage of the journey.
Through her consulting practice, she has partnered with founders and executives to align People strategy with business strategy, ensuring that culture becomes a true competitive advantage.
As host of the Slack Best Practices series, Abigail brings her unique lens as a builder of People Operations—asking the right questions, highlighting actionable insights, and grounding the conversation in the real-world challenges HR and People leaders face today.
Key Themes Across the Series:
- Culture is reinforced daily. Leaders can’t outsource culture to HR—it’s built in the rhythms and rituals of everyday Slack interactions.
- Slack amplifies culture. Done well, it fosters belonging; done poorly, it multiplies noise.
- Inclusion and async are essential. Healthy digital workplaces prioritize accessibility and sustainable practices, not just speed.
Why It Matters
These interviews are not just stories; they’re playbooks. Whether you’re a CEO, a People Ops leader, or simply a Slack admin tasked with making things work better, the series offers proven practices you can adapt right away.
???? Read all 4 interviews in the Slack Best Practices Series and start building a healthier, more engaged Slack culture today.
