Example polls
Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.
Choice poll. A real decision with one vote each and a fixed end (Premium for both).
/poll "Which snack should we add to the kitchen order?" "Dark chocolate" :chocolate_bar: "Salted pretzels" :pretzel: "Fresh fruit" :apple: "Popcorn" :popcorn: limit 1 close after 1 day
Premium: vote limits, closing automatically
Limit votes: 1 per personClose automatically: after 1 day
Choice poll. Naming vote. People can add a name the others then vote on.
/poll "What should we call the new support bot? Pick one, or add your own." "Sorter" "Triage Tim" "Ticketbot" limit 1 allow-options close after 2 days
Premium: vote limits, closing automatically
Limit votes: 1 per personAllow optionsClose automatically: after 2 days
Ranked poll. A ranked vote when several options are good.
/poll "Which book should we read next?" "The Overstory, Richard Powers" "Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir" "Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman" "Piranesi, Susanna Clarke" ranked close after 3 days
Premium: closing automatically
Close automatically: after 3 days
Choice poll. A fun vote with no decision attached. Free.
/poll "What is the worst sound in the office?" "Keyboard clatter" :keyboard: "Loud chewing" :yum: "The printer" :printer: "Speakerphone calls" :phone:
Free
Food and the kitchen
- Where should we go for team lunch on Friday? Pizza, tacos, sushi, ramen.
- Which snack should we add to the kitchen order? Chocolate, pretzels, fruit, popcorn.
- Which coffee next month? Light roast, dark roast, decaf.
- What should the Friday treat be? Pastries, ice cream, cheese board.
- Which cuisine for the team dinner? Indian, Mexican, Thai, Italian.
- Which team mug design? Three mockups.
- Weekly fridge clear-out day? Friday, Monday, no.
Team identity
- What should our team channel be called? Add your own.
- Which name for the support bot? Sorter, Triage Tim, Ticketbot.
- What should our mascot be? Owl, otter, octopus, fox.
- Our official "done" emoji? Check mark, rocket, party, raised hands.
- Which motto goes on the team page? Three shortlisted lines.
- What do we call the Friday demo? Show and tell, Demo hour, Shipping News.
- Hoodie colour? Navy, forest green, grey, burgundy.
Events and socials
- What should the holiday party be? Dinner, an activity, long lunch, online games.
- Holiday party theme? Decades, board games, winter cabin, none.
- This month's Friday activity? Quiz, games, show and tell, early finish.
- Which volunteering day should we do? Park clean-up, food bank, charity run, none.
- Where for the summer social? Picnic, bowling, boat trip, rooftop.
- Which book should the book club read next? Rank four.
- Which film for movie afternoon? Rank four.
- New end-of-year award category? Best save, best newcomer, best question.
Around the office
- Meeting room names? Planets, rivers, cities, add your own.
- Name the office plant? Ferngus, Leaf Erikson, Planty McPlantface.
- Office playlist this week? Lo-fi, indie, classical, 90s.
- Which board game should we buy? Codenames, Ticket to Ride, Wavelength.
- Which print for the kitchen wall? Three options.
- Where does the new sofa go? Kitchen, quiet corner, by the window.
Fun voting questions
Votes people enjoy arguing about. None of them names or ranks a colleague.
- Best day of the work week? Monday to Friday.
- Worst office sound? Keyboard clatter, loud chewing, the printer, speakerphone.
- Best office snack ever? Biscuits, crisps, chocolate, fruit.
- When should meetings end? On time, five minutes early, ten minutes early.
- Best Slack status emoji? Palm tree, coffee, headphones, sloth.
- Worst fridge discovery? Unlabelled container, sour milk, your lunch half eaten.
- Best Monday start? Coffee, inbox, to-do list.
- Best reply to "any questions?" Silence, one more question, "thanks everyone".
- Best name for the team group chat? Add your own.
- Pineapple on the team pizza? Yes, no.
- Best cake for a team birthday? Chocolate, lemon drizzle, carrot, victoria sponge.
- Best time for a coffee break? 10am, after lunch, 3pm.
For pure jokes, see funny poll questions for work.
How to run a fair vote in Slack
- One vote each. Add
limit 1(Premium) to any vote with a single winner; otherwise people can pick every option. - A closing time.
close after 1 day(Premium) ends it on its own, so the result is final. Put the deadline in the question too. - Anonymous when it is about people. Add
anonymous; for recognition, use team awards. - Ranked when there are many good options. With
ranked, voters put the options in order, and they see the results once the poll closes. - Let people add options. For names and themes,
allow-optionsruns nominations and voting in one poll.
Announcing the result
Post the winner in the poll thread with what happens next: "Tacos won, booking Friday at 12:30." If it was close, say the runner-up goes first next time. Then do it. A vote whose result never happens is the last one people answer.
Questions
What are good questions to vote on at work?
Small decisions where every option is fine and the result actually happens: the lunch spot, the snack order, a team name, the party theme. Post what happens next, so people see their vote mattered.
Should a work vote be anonymous?
Not for food, names or themes; named votes are part of the fun. Make it anonymous when
the vote is about people or when someone might feel judged for their pick.
How do I stop people voting for every option?
Add limit 1 (Premium). Each person can then pick one option. Premium has a 14-day free
trial, started with /simplepoll trial (card required).
Can I keep the count hidden until the vote ends?
Yes. Add hide results and voters do not see the count while the poll is open. On Free,
closing the poll in Slack reveals it. On Premium, you see the results while it is open; a poll
that closes on its own with close after keeps them hidden, so close it yourself in Slack
when you want to reveal them.
Related
- Team awards voting poll for Slack
When you want the team to choose who gets recognised, for quarterly awards, end-of-year superlatives or a peer shout-out.
- Team lunch poll for Slack
When you are organising a team lunch or a food order and need a decision before someone has to book or order.
- Poll question examples for teams (45 good poll questions)
When you need a poll for your team and want a question that is already worded well, with options that cover every answer and the right settings for the job.
- Funny poll questions for work
When a channel needs a laugh, a meeting needs a warm-up, or you want a light weekly poll that people answer without being asked twice.
- How to limit votes in a Slack poll
By default, a Simple Poll lets each person pick as many options as they like. That's right for "which days can you make?" and wrong for "which date should we pick?". A vote limit caps how many options each person can choose: limit 1 for single choice, limit 2 or more for "pick your top two". Vote limits are a Premium feature.
- What is approval voting?
Approval voting lets each voter pick every option they find acceptable, as many as they like. The option with the most approvals wins.