From the past two years, remote working has become the new normal, giving rise to an asynchronous approach, connecting from anywhere, at any time. It is a way to communicate, collaborate and coordinate with employees across countries from different time zones through email, team communication tools, Google Docs, etc.
According to the recent research by Harvard Business Review, companies have seen an increase in productivity by using online tools for asynchronous communication.
Is It Time to Let Employees Work from Anywhere?
The objective of this article is to give you a clear idea of asynchronous communication and how it helps in remote work success. But, before going into the details, let us first understand the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous
Synchronous approach: Simultaneous exchange
By definition, synchronous is anything that happens simultaneously, in sync. Therefore, when we speak of synchronous communication, it indicates a relationship in which the sender and receiver are interacting at the same time, whether they are in the same place.
In this way, messages sent are immediately received and answered by other people. The communication happens in real-time, where the feedback is instantaneous.
Examples of synchronous communication –
- Face-to-face meetings
- Video conference
- Digital notifications via Slack, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, etc. (if the recipient responds in real-time)
- Asking the teammate at your desk a quick question
Asynchronous approach: Flexible exchange
In asynchronous communication, the communicating partners do not enter into a conversation in real-time. It means the sender and receiver interact at different times, at the time that is most convenient for both. For instance, when someone sends you an email, you open it and respond hours later.
Examples of asynchronous communication –
- Discussion forums
- Letters or other direct mail Project management tools
- Company virtual workspaces
- Text messaging via mobile devices
Challenges associated with synchronous communication at workplace
This highly synchronous way of working would be understandable if it produced results, but there is increasing evidence that all the overhead of real-time communication makes it difficult to focus, drains employees’ mental resources, and often makes it difficult to progress at work.
Let’s briefly look at the main problems associated with synchronous culture –
- Constant interruptions
The biggest drawback of synchronous communication is that it favors interruptions. When you work in a work environment that favors this kind of culture, you generally have more meetings and your colleagues come more often to interrupt you to ask you things. It can, therefore, sometimes be difficult to concentrate and do deep work. - Loss of freedom
When you receive a text message or email, you have the freedom to read it and respond to it later. With synchronous culture, this is impossible. If someone calls you or schedules meetings or comes to talk to you, you can’t ignore them and come back to them later. You must stop what you are doing to respond to him. This constraint gives less freedom. - Creates unnecessary stress
The expectation of being constantly available means employees have no control over their schedules. They spend business days reacting to requests rather than proactively setting their own agenda. Researchers also found that people who make up for time lost to workplace disruptions by trying to work faster lead to more stress, greater frustration, time pressure, and effort. This kind of synchronous culture can quickly lead to burnout.
Benefits of Async communication at work
Working remotely has long been synonymous with working in unsuitable environments for professional activity. This implies less predictable working conditions and obstacles to productivity (children, noisy neighbour’s, work, etc.). Asynchronous way of working in a telework context thus has the merit of allowing employees to regain control over their time management!
But it is not only beneficial in a telework context. Many companies that still have offices are also adopting a more asynchronous approach to prevent their employees from being distracted or interrupted in their work.
Among the main advantages of asynchronous approach, the most recognized are –
- Promotes the quality of work
Asynchronous work style allows an individual to prepare for a good response by providing enough time. It means a particular answer has been sufficiently thought through, and thus a valuable and high-quality output is ensured. When employees are free to respond on their own schedule, they can focus on more important things, which eventually improves their performance and productivity, and it’s a win-win situation for everyone. - Less stress at work
Being constantly interrupted by notifications and messages makes work unproductive. With each interruption, there is a new cycle of concentration and focus to get back to what you were doing. Little by little, this creates stress, which further lowers focus and productivity throughout the day. Upfront, this will generate dissatisfaction with the job and the company and possibly even mental problems. Giving more autonomy to the employee allows them to plan better, to prioritize what is most important. - Allows greater flexibility
Isn’t it true that we all seek a perfect work-life balance? With asynchronous work, this goal seems more viable. The possibility of determining your own hours and calendar is the most attractive feature of remote and asynchronous employment. Some are most productive during the day, and some are more productive at night. Thus, asynchronous work culture gives the freedom to choose your own feasible work hours. - Increases transparency
While communicating asynchronously, one of the most important things is to pass on the information, at a later point in time in written form or in the form of pre-recorded videos and audios. As a result, your team can revisit and discuss the goals of a specific project or the expectations placed on them, leading to more transparency.
Whether in written documents or recorded videos and audio, asynchronous communication makes it even more evident what is expected of your team and the time frame. This way, everyone knows what they are working on and has access to other project areas for an overall view. Transparency is crucial for your team’s growth and business development – it builds trust and allows your team to truly understand the vision behind the business goals.
Whether in written documents or recorded videos and audio, asynchronous communication makes it even more evident what is expected of your team and the time frame. This way, everyone knows what they are working on and has access to other project areas for an overall view. Transparency is crucial for your team’s growth and business development – it builds trust and allows your team to truly understand the vision behind the business goals.
How to build a more asynchronous culture within your team
The transition to asynchronous communication does not happen overnight. It requires a profound change in your organization’s work processes, habits, and culture. As too many emails have been plaguing workplaces for a long. But, the new modern digital workspace, collaboration tools, and work boards have replaced emails with more contextual and meaningful communication and interactions.
Here are some concrete steps you can take, individually and as a manager, to begin your transition –
- Over-communicate – When sending a message, include as much information as possible, both in writing and with visual tools. Be clear about what you expect from the other person, do not hesitate to detail your expectations. Set a deadline by which you expect a response/action from him.
- Plan ahead – Give your collaborators time to reflect on your message before giving you feedback.
- Before meetings, share a common thread or document – Share all relevant information and discuss key points before the meeting so that everyone can fully understand the topic to be addressed.
- After the meetings, document your discussions and conclusions – Continue your thread, so people who weren’t there can have all the information they need. You can even experiment with video recording your meetings so they can “attend” them asynchronously.
- Emphasize trust, independence, and responsibility – Without these values, asynchronous communication cannot work effectively. At the same time, set reasonable team-wide expectations for response times. For example, you can ask your employees to respond within 24 hours.
Wrapping Up
The synchronous and asynchronous forms of communication are two means that will always exist and coexist. There is no way to leave any of them aside, as they are great for different functions. However, in the current corporate context, prioritizing asynchronous approach is the best thing to do, especially in telework or hybrid workplaces. The fewer interruptions help the team be more focused, leading to better overall results.
