Remove team members pages and add redirects

   - Add your [`specialty`](/handbook/company/structure/#specialist).

   - Add your [`expertise`](/handbook/company/structure/#expert). This must be formatted as HTML. An array will display incorrectly.

   - Add your own `story`. Use other team members' stories as a reference.

   - If remote work has [changed your life](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/people/) in a meaningful way, consider adding your own `remote_story`, using other team members' remote stories as a [reference](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/corporate_marketing/corporate-marketing/uploads/8161ceac4523a9f36244f9533960ccbd/remote-story-example.png)

   - If remote work has [changed your life](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/) in a meaningful way, consider adding your own `remote_story`, using other team members' remote stories as a [reference](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/corporate_marketing/corporate-marketing/uploads/8161ceac4523a9f36244f9533960ccbd/remote-story-example.png)

   - Update any data that was filled in but is incorrect.

     **Important:** Do not use the `tab` character, and respect the spaces between lines to avoid breaking the page format. Referenced file names/extensions are case sensitive, and a file that is not found will cause a pipeline failure. The file should end with an empty newline or it will cause a pipeline failure.

1. Follow the [writing style guide](/handbook/communication/#writing-style-guidelines).

1. Have a great search function, plus make it public so you can [Google search](/handbook/tools-and-tips/searching/).

1. Test people on their [knowledge](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/learning-and-development/) during onboarding.

1. Test people on their [knowledge](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/) during onboarding.

1. Give real examples.

1. Avoid corporate speak, describe things like you're talking to a friend. For more, see our communications guide on [Simple Language](/handbook/communication/#simple-language).

1. Be sure that you have an [ergonomic workspace](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/workspace/). You'll be taking lots of notes during meetings, and will want a comfortable setup.

1. Communicate clearly with your co-shadow about shared tasks since you will not be working together in person.

1. Consider alternating who leads note-taking from one meeting to the next, which reduces confusion on who writes first and who follows from one event to the next.

1. Take breaks from your desk when there is a break in the CEO's schedule. It's important to take time to [move around](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/tips/#dedicate-time-for-health-and-fitness).

1. Take breaks from your desk when there is a break in the CEO's schedule. It's important to take time to [move around](/handbook/hiring/).

1. Depending on your time zone, working in Pacific Time may be an adjustment to your typical working hours. [Plan ahead,](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/getting-started/#establish-routine-with-family-and-friends) especially if you're balancing responsibilities with family, pets, roommates, etc.

1. Consider switching locations in your home or workspace during the CEO's 1:1 meetings. Since you [won't be taking active notes](#meeting-responsibilities) in these calls, this is a good opportunity to change position or scenery intermittently throughout the day.

1. Particularly in a remote CEO Shadow rotation, life is more available to sidetrack you. It is OK if you need to drop from a meeting to handle tasks at home, from childcare to answering the door, or anything in between. GitLab puts [family and friends first, work second](/handbook/values/#family-and-friends-first-work-second). If feasible, communicate these instances with your co-shadow, so they can assist with ongoing note-taking/tasks.

1. **Focus on what we can directly influence.** There are many factors we can't directly influence and we should avoid spending time discussing those things. For example, we don't talk about our [market capitalization](/handbook/company/being-a-public-company/#market-capitalization) because aspects of this are out of our control. Instead, we should focus on how we can work together to achieve company objectives and grow [annual recurring revenue](/handbook/sales/sales-term-glossary/arr-in-practice/).

1. **Commit to [active and effective listening](/handbook/leadership/coaching/#essential-coaching-skills)**.

Embracing asynchronous communication and learning to use it effectively requires a mental shift. This can feel unusual or even uncomfortable for those who come from a colocated environment, where in-person meetings and communiques are the norm. Learn more about [mastering the use of the written word in an all-remote setting](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/effective-communication/).

Embracing asynchronous communication and learning to use it effectively requires a mental shift. This can feel unusual or even uncomfortable for those who come from a colocated environment, where in-person meetings and communiques are the norm. Learn more about [mastering the use of the written word in an all-remote setting](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/).

### Everyone is a moderator

As GitLab matures, we want to continue to foster discussion while evolving our communication guidelines so that topics that are potentially GitLab sensitive are discussed in appropriate forums. This is particularly relevant as team members heavily leverage async modes of communication including merge requests, issues and epics, and in Slack communication.

Words have impact long after they are written, and even when you're communicating internally, the manner in which you speak with one another should be viewed through an external lens. For additional information, please review our [Guidelines for communicating effectively and responsibly through text](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/effective-communication/).

Words have impact long after they are written, and even when you're communicating internally, the manner in which you speak with one another should be viewed through an external lens. For additional information, please review our [Guidelines for communicating effectively and responsibly through text](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/).

### Confidentiality levels

1. It is perfectly fine to create a channel, even for a single customer meeting. These channels should be named "a\_<customer-name>-internal" to indicate their "internal" nature (not shared with customers).

1. Use [low-context communications](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-context_and_low-context_cultures) by being explicit in your communications. We are a remote-only company, located all over the world. Provide as much context as possible to avoid confusion. Relatedly, we use [ubiquitous language](#ubiquitous-language) for communication efficiency.

1. When discussing concepts, be careful not to lean too much into hypotheticals. There is a tipping point in which it decreases value and no longer becomes constructive at helping everyone come into a unified decision.

1. Consult our [tips for better writing](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/effective-communication/#tips-for-better-writing).

1. Consult our [tips for better writing](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/).

### Internal Communication Channel Guidance

1. If a user suggests an enhancement, try and find an existing issue that addresses their concern, or create a new one. Ask if they'd like to elaborate on their idea in an issue to help define the first MVC via a subsequent MR.

1. **Cross link** issues or MRs with related conversations. Another example is to add "Report: " lines to the issue description with links to relevant issues and feature requests. When done, add a comment to relevant issues (and close them if you are responsible for reporting back, or reassign if you are not). This prevents internal confusion and us failing to report back to the reporters.

1. When cross-linking issues or MRs, include a preview of the content you are linking, to facilitate [low-context communication](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/effective-communication/#understanding-low-context-communication):

1. When cross-linking issues or MRs, include a preview of the content you are linking, to facilitate [low-context communication](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/):

   1. Good: `this would cause performance issue similar to #123456`. The reader has full information on first read and can refer to the link for more.

   1. Avoid: `this would cause issue similar to #123456`. The reader needs to click the link and find the relevant information among other discussion threads, before switching back to the original discussion.

1. When providing links to specific lines of code relevant to the issue, **always use a permalink** (a link to a specific commit for the file). This ensures that the reference is still valid if the file changes. For more information, see [Link to specific lines of code](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/styleguide/#link-to-specific-lines-of-code).

If you would like to improve your skills or expand your knowledge on topics relating to Communication at GitLab, check out our resources:

- [Communicating effectively and responsibly through text](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/effective-communication/)

- [Communicating effectively and responsibly through text](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/)

- [Embracing asynchronous communication](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/asynchronous/)

**Skills and behavior of applying effective communication as a Team Member**:

- **[`#thanks`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/thanks)**: Where GitLab team-members can [say thanks](/handbook/communication/#say-thanks) to those GitLab team-members who did a great job, helped a customer, or helped you! Also where managers recoginze discretionary bonuses for their teams.

- **[`#office-today`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/office-today)**: GitLab is an [all-remote](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/) organization. Where's your office today?

- **[`#remote`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/travel)**: To share news, thoughts, feedback and anything else pertaining to remote work! Learn more about [GitLab's approach to remote work](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/)

- **[`#travel`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/travel)**: A place to discuss all things [travel](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/people/#travelers)

- **[`#travel`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/travel)**: A place to discuss all things [travel](/handbook/company/culture/all-remote/)

- **[`#women`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/travel)**: Employee resource group for members and allies.

- **[`#values`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/travel)**: Channel to discuss iterations on GitLab values

- **[`#random`](https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/random)**:  Socialize and share random snippets with your fellow GitLab team-members.