We understand that anonymous communication is a sensitive matter for most teams. That is why Abot allows you to fine-tune how to apply it with maximum benefit for your internal communication while avoiding the potential risks of misuse.
Below I describe a few sample scenarios on how you can configure and use Abot within your team. These are by no means exhaustive possible use cases, but rather ideas on how to tweak Abot config options to suit your team's unique culture.
Please remember that these are not hardcoded settings, but you can mix and match different scenarios.
#"hr-suggestion-box" scenario
You can restrict posting anonymous messages to a single private channel. Only the members of this channel (e.g., HR team) would be able to read and respond to those questions and messages.
This scenario would allow you to create a safe and anonymous way for your team members to report and resolve sensitive issues.
#"#anonymous-random" scenario
Alternatively, you can limit anonymous communication to a single public channel. Anyone who wants to participate can join or leave at any time. A humorous sample application of this scenario was described by one of the early Abot customers:
"We use Abot with a separate Slack channel for anonymously shaming employees into keeping their work area clean. Those shamed need to bring in donuts! Since donuts are on the line, it encourages people to participate. And it’s just fun to try and guess who shamed who."
#"Subteam channels" scenario
Subteam channels let you divide your team into individual groups, each with a separate channel for anonymous communication. After configuring a subteam channel, only its members can post anonymous messages to it. It is a simple way to fine-tune which subgroups of your team can communicate anonymously only between themselves.
#"Honest voting" scenario
Using the poll feature, you can post questions and let your team members vote for them anonymously. Every user has one vote. Additionally, an "anonymous thread discussion" feature makes it possible to discuss the voted matter and convince others to change their votes. Optionally you can hide displaying results before the voting is finished to avoid social bias when choosing the answer. You can also show final results only to the author of the poll in case you're voting over a more sensitive issue.
#"Ask the boss" scenario*
"Direct feedback users channel" feature, allows you to restrict users who can receive direct anonymous messages. You could enable your employees to ask anonymous questions directly to your CEO.
#"Direct survey" scenario*
By using the "Permitted users channel" feature, you can restrict who can post direct anonymous messages. The practical application of this would be to allow your HR team to survey employees via direct messages anonymously.
*This scenario requires an Enterprise tier (a default for teams with over 50 users).
