> Notifications are muted and the sender sees a 'Zzz' symbol next to your name.
That's a minor thing but 'Zzz' really sends the wrong signal to the sender: if you are not available, then you are sleeping (i.e. unproductive).
Agreed, and would probably go a bit beyond "minor".
Other chat systems offer the ability to attach a message to your AFK status, which can be pretty helpful for setting expectations about when you might be back. Last time I looked, Slack seemed kind-of resistant to doing anything like that.
> That's a minor thing but 'Zzz' really sends the wrong signal to the sender: if you are not available, then you are sleeping (i.e. unproductive).
Working remotely, is that a bad thing? If you are unavailable due to deep coding or a need for a nap does it matter?
Ideally, only results should matter. But 'Zzz' somehow reinforces the default assumption that a remote worker will try to be paid for slacking off. Now, I am going back to bed.
I mean, the product itself is named Slack...
If someone sends you a direct message they have the option to interrupt you if it's really important.