When Your Slack Message Bites You Back
When I get comfortable, my big mouth tends to slip—and those moments often come back to bite me. Hard.
Messaging all day at work is so convenient that getting a little too casual is easy. When you work with the same people long enough, “professional” starts to blur into “friendly.” And let me tell you, that’s where things can go sideways fast.
Those offhand comments that seem funny or harmless to you? They can hit entirely differently on the other end. Keep reading for the lessons learned when no filter is on our words and a good book to pair with tonight’s fine reading experience. 👇
Lesson Learned: Your Words Aren’t Always Read the Way You Meant Them
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned (and keep learning) is this: People won’t always interpret your words the way you do. What feels like a joke to you might feel like daggers to them.
When the daggers hit, you’ve got two choices:
Ignore the tension and hope it blows over (spoiler: it rarely does).
Take the awkward but mature route and clear the air.
Here’s what I’ve found works best: Get on a quick call as soon as you can—or, even scarier, talk in person. Don’t wait. Waiting just gives the awkwardness time to fester and grow into something worse. Trust me when I say that conversational skills require practice. They will change your career for the better when you build them. Learn from some of the mistakes and read the story linked below. 👇
How to Undo a Slack Slip-Up
Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself: Before firing off a message, pause. If there’s any chance it could be misread, reword it. Slack strips away tone, so what’s funny in your head might read as passive-aggressive or worse.
If It Lands Wrong, Own It Fast – If you sense tension or get that dreaded “…” typing indicator but no response, don’t double down—clarify. A quick “Hey, I meant that as a joke—hope it didn’t come across wrong” can save a lot of stress (for both of you).
Face the Awkwardness Like an Adult – If you really stepped in it, don’t hide behind Slack. A direct message can clear things up, but nothing beats a quick face-to-face (or call). Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, you might cringe. But walking away with your working relationships intact? Worth it.
A Book For Mastering Conversations
If you’ve ever said something that landed way differently than you intended, congratulations—you’ve just had a crucial conversation (whether you meant to or not). The book Crucial Conversations is basically a cheat sheet for handling those “oh no” moments before they spiral. It breaks down how to stop misunderstandings in their tracks, clear the air without making things worse, and actually get people to hear what you meant—not just what you said. If you ever find yourself navigating workplace awkwardness, this one’s worth a read. Check it out on Amazon (not an affiliate).
What Happens When You Face the Awkwardness
Yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable. You might sweat a little. You might hear some feedback that stings. But you’ll walk out of that conversation a better communicator—and probably with your working relationship intact.
I’m not saying I’ve mastered this (I still say a lot of dumb things). But I’ve learned that clearing the air—whether at work or in personal relationships—is worth every ounce of awkwardness. You will come across many tests in your professional career, each unique depending on the company or the people.
Here’s your reminder to be the bigger person and have that conversation.
And hey, if you’ve got your own cringe-worthy mistakes, I want to hear them. Let’s laugh at ourselves together because growth is messy—and that’s what makes it real. 😅