Since the overnight shift to remote working in 2020, organisations have embraced remote working with varying degrees of success, but most were surprised that productivity had not been impacted as negatively as feared. While relatively few organisations plan to continue to work 100% remotely, many organisations have now instituted hybrid remote working models. As a result, almost all of their employees will balance working in the office with working from home, indefinitely. While there has been much debate within organisations about how many days is the right answer, and what those days should be, fewer are addressing the fundamental changes to how the work gets done. One such change involves a move towards ‘Asynchronous working’.
What does asynchronous work mean?
The difference between asynchronous and synchronous work has been described by Gitlab, a 100% remote, global organisation as follows:
“In a world dictated by calendars and schedules, people are conditioned to operate in synchronicity — a manner in which two or more parties exert effort to be in the same place (either physically or virtually) at the same time. Asynchronous communication is the art of communicating and moving projects forward without the need for additional stakeholders to be available at the same time your communique is sent.”
With employees now spending less time co-located with entire teams, the reliance on being available in the same place at the same time is becoming far less practical. If your typical way of working and progressing projects depends on frequent meetings with your team or various stakeholders, then you may like to consider ways to work asynchronously.
The problems with synchronous work in a remote or hybrid setting
Not only does synchronous work revolve around people being involved in an activity at the same time, it often prioritises the human connection element and the content is not always fully captured or documented. Discussions are had, meetings held, and, sometimes, minutes or actions are taken. The convenience of real-time communication can mask the cost of taking up another person’s time and attention. Sometimes, the reliance on real time communication has led to constant interruptions and/or meetings, particularly for people managers. Of course, some discussions are necessary to be face to face, or at least in real-time, and can be of a much higher quality when performed in person. But many other communications could be replaced with more effective electronic documentation, iterations, questions and comments to help progress ideas more quickly, especially when working in hybrid and remote settings.
This was our first piece in this three-part series. Our second piece will outline some of the benefits of effective asynchronous working. The third and final piece will focus on practical actions you can start putting in place to realise these benefits.
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