What is a Work User Manual? The Complete Guide to Professional Self-Documentation
How a simple document can transform your workplace relationships, accelerate onboarding, and help your team do their best work together.
Introduction: The Missing Piece of Workplace Collaboration
Imagine joining a new team. You spend weeks—sometimes months—trying to figure out how your manager likes to receive updates, whether your colleague's brevity in messages means they're upset or just efficient, and why the person who sits across from you seems to shut down during afternoon meetings.
Now imagine instead receiving a simple document on your first day that says:
"Hi, I'm Sarah. I do my best thinking in the morning and protect that time for deep work. I prefer Slack for quick questions and email for anything that needs a paper trail. I can seem quiet in large meetings—it's not disengagement, I just process internally. The best way to get my input is to send me an agenda ahead of time. And please, never schedule a meeting without a clear purpose in the invite."
Suddenly, those weeks of guesswork collapse into minutes of understanding. That's the power of a Work User Manual.
What is a Work User Manual?
A Work User Manual (also known as a "Working with Me" guide, "Professional README," "Manager Manual," or "How to Work with Me" document) is a self-authored guide that outlines how you operate in a professional context—your work style, communication preferences, feedback approach, and what helps you do your best work.
It's essentially an instruction manual for collaborating with you effectively.
Definition
Work User Manual: A professional document that provides clarity on how you operate at work—your working hours, communication preferences, collaboration style, feedback approach, decision-making process, strengths, growth areas, and what others can expect when working with you.
Key Characteristics:
- Professionally focused: Centered on work behaviors and preferences
- Actionable: Provides specific, practical guidance
- Authentic yet appropriate: Honest without oversharing
- Mutually beneficial: Helps both you and your colleagues
- Living document: Updated as you grow and as contexts change
- Shareable: Designed to be shared during onboarding and team building
The Origin and Rise of Work User Manuals
The Beginning: QuestBack and the New York Times
The concept emerged from a New York Times column where Ivar Kroghrud of QuestBack explained his "How to work with me" approach:
"It made sense to me because I've always been struck by this sort of strange approach that people take, where they try the same approach with everybody they work with. But if you lead people for a while, you realize that it's striking how different people are—if you use the exact same approach with two different people, you can get very different outcomes."
The Evolution: From Manager Tool to Team Practice
What began as a leadership practice has evolved into a team-wide exercise. Companies like:
- GitLab - CEO Sid Sijbrandij publishes a comprehensive "Guide to the CEO"
- Atlassian - Created a full playbook for team user manual exercises
- Slack - Developed organizational templates for distributed teams
- Blendle - Integrated user manuals into their employee handbook
The Remote Work Acceleration
The rise of remote and hybrid work has made Work User Manuals essential. As Future Forum research shows:
"When you work remotely, it can be difficult to get to know your team and how they work. Before, when you were in the office, you could observe people and understand a bit more about their work style. Now, you don't have that luxury."
Without hallway conversations and organic observation, explicit documentation of working styles becomes crucial.
Why Work User Manuals Matter: Research-Backed Benefits
1. Psychological Safety: The Foundation of High-Performing Teams
Google's Project Aristotle identified psychological safety as the #1 factor in high-performing teams. Amy Edmondson's research defines psychological safety as the "shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking."
Work User Manuals build psychological safety by:
- Making expectations explicit and reducing guesswork
- Normalizing that everyone has different styles and needs
- Creating permission to discuss working preferences openly
- Reducing fear of accidentally offending colleagues
2. Improved Communication
Research shows that making work process preferences explicit significantly benefits collaboration. When team members know:
- How you prefer to receive information
- What communication channels you monitor
- How quickly you typically respond
- What communication styles don't work for you
...they can adapt their approach, reducing friction and misunderstandings.
3. Faster Onboarding
New hires can spend weeks or months trying to decode how their team operates. Work User Manuals:
- Provide immediate insight into team dynamics
- Reduce the "figuring out" period dramatically
- Help new employees feel welcome and equipped
- Prevent early miscommunications that can damage trust
4. Conflict Prevention
Many workplace conflicts stem from:
- Unstated expectations
- Communication style mismatches
- Assumptions about intent
- Different working rhythms clashing
By explicitly stating preferences and triggers, you prevent many conflicts before they start.
5. Enhanced Productivity
When colleagues know how to work effectively with you, less time is wasted on:
- Unnecessary meetings
- Wrong communication channels
- Misaligned expectations
- Repeated clarification requests
6. Stronger Team Cohesion
The exercise of sharing Work User Manuals:
- Creates vulnerability that builds connection
- Helps team members see each other as complete humans
- Generates conversations about working styles
- Builds empathy and mutual respect
What a Work User Manual is NOT
Understanding what Work User Manuals aren't is as important as understanding what they are:
❌ NOT an Excuse for Bad Behavior
"My manual says I'm blunt" isn't a pass for being rude. Your manual explains your tendencies so you can work on them and others can understand them—not so you can avoid accountability.
❌ NOT a Replacement for Communication
Work User Manuals are conversation starters, not conversation enders. They should prompt discussion, not prevent it.
❌ NOT a Static Document
You grow and change. Your work context changes. Your manual should evolve accordingly.
❌ NOT a Performance Review
This isn't about evaluating yourself. It's about describing how you work.
❌ NOT Only for Managers
While managers benefit enormously from sharing their manuals, every team member gains from participation. The practice works best when it's mutual.
❌ NOT a Requirement Others Must Follow Perfectly
It's guidance, not law. Others will do their best to accommodate, but flexibility goes both ways.
The Leader Perspective: Why Managers Should Go First
When implementing Work User Manuals on a team, leaders should create and share theirs first. Here's why:
1. Modeling Vulnerability
When a manager shares their quirks, growth areas, and triggers, it gives permission for everyone else to do the same.
2. Reducing Power Asymmetry
Employees often feel they need to adapt to their manager's style. A manager's manual acknowledges that accommodation goes both ways.
3. Setting the Tone
The depth and honesty of a manager's manual establishes expectations for what team members should include.
4. Preventing Misunderstandings from the Top
Manager behaviors are often closely scrutinized and can be easily misinterpreted. Explicit documentation prevents speculation.
As Julie Zhuo discovered after receiving survey feedback that her team felt she didn't care about them:
"Have you ever told your reports that you care about them? Or asked them how they'd like to be cared for?... Everyone's wired differently. Sometimes we struggle to understand each other. Maybe the way you show care and the way your reports perceive care are different."
Her realization led to better understanding through explicit documentation.
Core Components of a Work User Manual
Section 1: Introduction and Context
Purpose: Set the stage for why you're sharing this and what you hope it accomplishes.
Include:
- Brief professional background relevant to current role
- Why you've created this document
- How you hope it will be used
- Invitation for others to share their own
Example:
"I'm writing this user guide to give you a better handle on me and my values, quirks, and growth areas so that we can develop the strongest working relationship possible. I encourage you to do the same and share your user guide with me as well!" — Julie Zhuo
Section 2: How I View Success
Purpose: Help others understand what you're optimizing for and what good work looks like to you.
Include:
- What being good at your job means to you
- Values that underpin your understanding of success
- What you prioritize in work
- How you define impact
Example:
"Success is constantly learning and getting better. We can't always control the results, and if we aim high we will sometimes fail. But no matter the outcome, there are always lessons to be mined. Those learnings are ours to keep forever." — Julie Zhuo
Section 3: Working Hours and Availability
Purpose: Help others know when and how they can reach you.
Include:
- Typical working hours
- Time zone (especially important for distributed teams)
- Availability outside standard hours
- How you handle vacation/PTO communication
Example:
"I generally work between 8:00–19:00 CET/CEST on weekdays; it's flexible. I start my days with a short walk and check-in with my calendar. I use time-boxing and scheduling tools to create structure." — Lisette Sutherland
Section 4: Communication Preferences
Purpose: Provide clear guidance on how to reach you and what to expect.
Include:
- Preferred channels for different types of communication
- Expected response times by channel
- How to reach you for urgent matters
- What communication styles work/don't work
Questions to answer:
- Do you prefer email, chat, or in-person/video for different situations?
- How quickly do you typically respond to different channels?
- What's the best way to reach you urgently?
- Do you check messages outside work hours?
Example:
"I prefer email for asynchronous team communication. Please use email if you're describing an issue with a good deal of context. I respond to most things within 2 work days, so if I've been slow, re-ping me as I do sometimes miss things. If something is urgent or easy to respond to, feel free to message me over chat, and allow me the rest of the day to respond." — Julie Zhuo
Section 5: Meeting Preferences
Purpose: Help others understand how you approach meetings and how to make them effective with you.
Include:
- Your philosophy on meetings
- Preferences for meeting format (video, audio, in-person)
- How you like agendas and preparation
- Calendar preferences
Example:
"I generally avoid meetings unless there's a clear purpose. I much prefer video calls to voice-only calls (I like seeing who I'm speaking with), but I understand that not everyone feels the same way; I can flex when needed." — Lisette Sutherland
Section 6: How I Make Decisions
Purpose: Help others understand your decision-making process and how to work with it.
Include:
- Your typical decision-making style
- How much input you like before deciding
- How you handle disagreement
- Your comfort with ambiguity vs. structure
Section 7: Feedback Preferences
Purpose: Create clarity around how to give and receive feedback effectively.
Include:
- How you prefer to receive feedback (format, timing, setting)
- How you typically give feedback
- What makes feedback land well with you
- What feedback delivery doesn't work
Example:
"I prefer giving feedback in writing with the option to follow up in conversation. I respond well to positive reinforcement. Public praise and frequent encouragement motivate me!" — Lisette Sutherland
Section 8: Things That May Annoy Others / My Quirks
Purpose: Proactively acknowledge behaviors that might be misunderstood or frustrating.
Include:
- Patterns you're aware of that might annoy others
- Behaviors that could be misinterpreted
- Things you're working on improving
Example:
"I am frequently late to meetings, like 1-5 minutes late. Sometimes there is a good reason, but 80% of the time, the reason is that I suck at punctuality, and need to get better at it. You should call me out when this happens." — Julie Zhuo
Section 9: Things People Misunderstand About Me
Purpose: Address common misconceptions before they become problems.
Include:
- Behaviors that are frequently misread
- Clarifications about your intent
- Context that helps explain your patterns
Example:
"I can appear extroverted, but I'm actually more solitary by nature. I love people and parties, but I also need large stretches of alone time to recharge." — Lisette Sutherland
"Because a lot of my job is nurturing creativity, my preference is for others to come to the right solution with their own conviction, not to tell others what I think the right solution is. However, I recognize that sometimes the most pragmatic and efficient thing is to be clear with my opinion early on so we can resolve major misalignments." — Julie Zhuo
Section 10: What Builds and Erodes My Trust
Purpose: Help others understand how to build a strong working relationship with you.
Include:
- Actions that build your trust
- Actions that erode your trust
- What you value in working relationships
Example:
"The easiest way to win my trust is to care about getting high-quality outcomes and to be transparent about what you think is going well or not well. I admire people with keen self-awareness, who are constantly looking to learn, and who admit their challenges and growth areas... Conversely, if I hear about a big problem involving you from someone else, I will assume either a) you are oblivious to the issue, or b) you didn't want me to know, both of which will erode my trust." — Julie Zhuo
Section 11: My Strengths
Purpose: Help others understand what you bring and how they can leverage your abilities.
Include:
- Natural strengths and talents
- How you can help others
- What you're known for
- Areas where you can contribute
Section 12: My Growth Areas
Purpose: Acknowledge where you're developing and how others can support you.
Include:
- Known blind spots
- Skills you're actively developing
- How others can help you grow
- Patience you might need from others
Example:
"Execution/follow-through: I have no shortage of new ideas but what I need to focus on instead is tighter execution, especially diligent and speedy follow-through." — Julie Zhuo
For Managers: Additional Sections
What I Expect from People I Manage
- What does stellar performance look like?
- What does mediocre performance look like?
- What's unique about your expectations?
My Management Philosophy
- How you approach leading
- What you believe about developing people
- How you make team decisions
How I Run 1:1s
- Format and frequency preferences
- What you want to cover
- How to prepare for meetings with you
How to Implement Work User Manuals on Your Team
Phase 1: Leader Preparation (1-2 weeks)
- Create your own manual first - As a leader, model the behavior
- Choose a format - Decide on a template the team will use
- Test with trusted colleagues - Get feedback on your draft
- Plan the rollout - Decide when and how to introduce the exercise
Phase 2: Team Introduction (1 meeting)
- Explain the why - Share the benefits and research
- Share your manual - Model vulnerability by going first
- Distribute the template - Give everyone a starting point
- Set expectations - Timeline, depth, sharing approach
- Answer questions - Address concerns and hesitations
Key rules to establish:
- This is designed to understand how to support each other's best work
- No one will be pressured to share anything they're uncomfortable sharing
- This is a safe space—nothing shared will be used against anyone
Phase 3: Individual Creation (1-2 weeks)
- Give dedicated time - Allow work time for this exercise
- Make it optional to share certain sections - Respect boundaries
- Encourage personality test integration - DISC, MBTI, etc. provide vocabulary
- Be available for questions - Support the process
Phase 4: Team Sharing (1-2 meetings)
- Create a safe environment - Emphasize learning over judgment
- Each person presents - Give everyone time to share highlights
- Encourage questions - Genuine curiosity, not interrogation
- Capture key insights - Document important discoveries
Phase 5: Integration and Maintenance
- Store manuals accessibly - Confluence, Notion, shared drive
- Review during onboarding - New hires review existing manuals
- New hire creation - Add manual creation to 30/60/90 day plans
- Annual refresh - Review and update periodically
Formats and Tools for Work User Manuals
Document-Based
- Google Docs - Easy to create, share, and collaborate
- Confluence - Great for teams already using Atlassian
- Notion - Flexible, visually appealing, easy to organize
Presentation-Based
- Google Slides - Visual, scannable, easy to present
- PowerPoint - Familiar for corporate environments
Repository-Based
- GitHub/GitLab - Great for engineering teams, version-controlled
Platform-Based
- Manual of Me - Purpose-built platform for user manuals
Visual/Infographic
- Canva - Create visually engaging one-pagers
- Miro - Collaborative visual format
Real-World Examples and Case Studies
Example 1: Julie Zhuo's User Guide
Former VP of Design at Facebook, Julie Zhuo, shares a comprehensive user guide that includes:
- How she views success
- Communication preferences
- Things that may annoy others
- What builds and erodes trust
- Strengths and growth areas
Key insight: She discovered through employee surveys that her team felt she didn't care about them—despite caring deeply. The disconnect was in how she showed care vs. how they perceived it. This led to creating her user guide.
Example 2: Blendle's Leader Practice
The Dutch media company Blendle advises all leaders to write User Guides for their team members:
"The guide is a living and breathing document which gives really concrete pointers on how to work with you. It also gives more context and information about you, so people understand why you do things or act a certain way."
Example 3: GitLab's CEO Guide
Sid Sijbrandij publishes a comprehensive "Guide to the CEO" in GitLab's public handbook, modeling radical transparency for the entire organization.
Example 4: The Leah Tharin Approach
Head of Product Leah Tharin links her "How to work with me Readme" directly in her Slack profile, making it immediately accessible to anyone she interacts with.
Example 5: Lisette Sutherland's Comprehensive Manual
Remote work expert Lisette Sutherland maintains a detailed personal user manual that includes:
- Time zone and working hours
- Social media preferences
- Languages spoken
- How her brain works (cognitive traits, interpersonal style, processing preferences)
- Team dynamics and stress signals
- Complete workspace setup
- Interests outside of work
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Pitfall 1: Vague, Generic Statements
❌ "I value good communication" ✅ "I prefer receiving complex information in writing first, then discussing via video call. I need time to process before responding thoughtfully."
Pitfall 2: Using It as a Shield
❌ "I told you in my manual I'm direct, so don't be offended" ✅ Use the manual as a starting point for ongoing dialogue about communication styles
Pitfall 3: One-Way Traffic
❌ Only managers create and share manuals ✅ Make it a mutual team exercise where everyone participates
Pitfall 4: Overcomplicating It
❌ 20-page comprehensive document no one will read ✅ Start with 1-2 pages covering essentials, expand over time if needed
Pitfall 5: Set and Forget
❌ Create once and never update ✅ Review quarterly or after major role/team changes
Pitfall 6: Forcing Participation
❌ Requiring specific disclosures ✅ Making all sections optional and respecting boundaries
Addressing Concerns and Objections
"No one will actually read it"
Response: The primary value comes from the creation process itself—forcing self-reflection and establishing norms. The document serves as a reference when needed, not required reading.
"It could be used against me"
Response: The best implementations make this a mutual exercise with explicit psychological safety agreements. Leaders going first with vulnerability establishes the tone.
"People should just figure out how to work with me"
Response: That approach costs everyone time and leads to preventable friction. Explicit documentation is more efficient and respectful.
"My style changes depending on context"
Response: Great insight! Include that in your manual. Explain how your approach varies by situation.
"I don't know myself well enough"
Response: The exercise itself builds self-awareness. Personality assessments, feedback from colleagues, and reflection prompts all help. Start with what you know and iterate.
Measuring Success: How Do You Know It's Working?
Leading Indicators
- Faster onboarding times for new hires
- Fewer communication-related misunderstandings
- Increased psychological safety scores on surveys
- More productive feedback conversations
- Reduced "figuring out" time when forming new project teams
Lagging Indicators
- Improved employee engagement scores
- Better retention rates
- Higher team performance
- Increased innovation and risk-taking
- Stronger culture metrics
Qualitative Signals
- Team members referencing each other's manuals
- New hires reporting feeling equipped faster
- Reduced interpersonal tension
- Increased openness about working styles
- More effective meeting facilitation
The Future of Work User Manuals
Trends to Watch
-
Integration with HR Systems: Automatic prompts to update during onboarding, role changes, and annual reviews
-
AI-Assisted Creation: Tools that help generate drafts based on communication patterns and feedback data
-
Dynamic Updates: Living documents that evolve based on actual behavior patterns and feedback
-
Cross-Company Standards: Industry norms for what should be included
-
Visual and Video Formats: Moving beyond text to include video introductions and visual representations
Conclusion: A Small Investment with Compounding Returns
Creating a Work User Manual requires perhaps 2-3 hours of focused effort. That investment pays dividends across:
- Every new colleague you work with
- Every cross-functional project you join
- Every moment of potential misunderstanding avoided
- Every feedback conversation made smoother
- Every new hire who onboards to your team
As the practice spreads, we move toward workplaces where people are understood more quickly and deeply—where psychological safety is the norm rather than the exception—where the energy typically spent on navigating interpersonal uncertainty can instead be directed toward meaningful work.
The question isn't whether you have working preferences and patterns—you do. The question is whether you'll make them explicit, giving your colleagues a roadmap to working effectively with you.
Your team is waiting.
Additional Resources
Templates and Tools
- Atlassian Team Playbook - atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/my-user-manual
- Future Forum Template - Free downloadable template
- Manual of Me - manualof.me (platform for creating and sharing)
- Miro Personal User Manual Template - Collaborative visual format
Further Reading
- The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott
- Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais
- GitLab Handbook (handbook.gitlab.com)
Research
- Amy Edmondson's work on psychological safety
- Google's Project Aristotle findings
- Future Forum Pulse research on remote work
The best time to create your Work User Manual was when you started your job. The second best time is now.