It must’ve been some soul-melting recent LinkedIn work/life balance post that did it, but I’ve finally snapped, so it’s time to talk about corporate sin-eaters.

Many, many jobs ago, one of our company’s extremely rich and powerful co-founders did a post in which he advocated for just never having meetings.

I understood the “meetings suck” sentiment, and as someone that’s now worked in the tech industry for almost 25 years, I’ve obviously been involved in more than my fair share of jaw-droppingly useless stand-ups, syncs and religious-adjacent offsites.

Here’s the thing though: the whole “firewall off your daily communication time!” preciousness that’s seeped into the world over the past few decades may be delightful and professionally nourishing for you, but it absolutely doesn’t come without costs.

There are always unacknowledged company communication sin-eaters, and it’s about time that we celebrate (and elevate) them.

These are the people that seem to always be available on Slack and email (or Teams, whatever, I’ll use a Slack example here) to “unstick” those that need quick answers, help make quick cross-company connections and (perhaps most importantly) translate hastily-written “I’m too busy for this right now” or “we’re not staffed for this” responses from those invested in the business of defending their little fiefdoms.

I get it. “Not it!” answers are fiefdom-friendly (and let’s be honest, those leaders will probably even get promoted for having a clear vision and strong boundaries), but it’s not so great for the overall company, especially for projects that require rapid across-the-board coordination.

Don’t fret though. The sin-eaters are there to help route around the “damage” and keep communication and backup options flowing. Their eyes may be twitching and there may be a good deal of “abyss staring” going on, but they’ve got this.

Does this concept seem foreign to you? Are you a die-hard proponent of the “if you’re juggling too many plates, let some break, so that a better system can be put in place!” mindset?

Guess what, you’re definitely not one of the sin eaters!

I’m happy that you’re able to set up and maintain clear boundaries. This will make for some top-notch cloying LinkedIn post material! 🥳

I do ask you though to take a quick moment to reflect on who’s cleaning up the mess and figuring out other options at your company, so that you can keep feeling like a savvy and accomplished titan of BUSINESS. 💼

Done reflecting? Into potentially repenting? Interested in taking Ronald Reagan down a peg and also becoming an awe-inspiring great communicator?

Here are a few potential places to start. For free! No “masterclass” required!

1) Prioritize fast responses to Slack and email above everything else. Yep, this is the opposite of every piece of advice you’ll find elsewhere about optimizing your valuable time. You can do your own stuff any time. Time to unblock others and answer questions is far more limited.

If you are going into the zone, set your Slack status accordingly, and even still, take breaks fairly often to give quick answers. You can learn to multitask, I promise. You’re shipping and selling stuff, not walking the path to enlightenment.

If you think being pinged all the time is too distracting, you clearly didn’t grow up online, and it shows. Delete your ridiculous “I only check my messages once a day and I’m the fairest in all the land!” email auto-response and start a journey of self-improvement, since others are picking up your (no pun intended) slack.

2) Use audio hangouts or jump on live video meetings immediately if you need to clarify something, and you think talking would be faster than typing. These options are quick and easy, and help reduce the “which time works for you?” calendar dance and subsequent formal meeting(s), which tend to attract extra “stakeholders” and grind everything to a halt.

3) Take the extra 30 seconds to write clear Slack messages. Incoherent snippets sink ships, and add more meat to the sin-eating plates.

Oh, and one more thing? Be friendly, and don’t take yourself so damn seriously in every message.

The advice to never let co-workers see you be silly or human in business communications should have died in the 1980s, along with shoulder pads.

Yummmm, sins! 🍽