The Secret to Success for Remote Teams? ‘Asynchronous’ Work
A recent EY report concluded working remotely will be the “new normal,” even after the danger of COVID-19 has subsided. Operational flexibility, agility, and other benefits are too valuable to pass up, the report says.
The shift is promising, as it should make us more capable to solve the most pressing problems of the 21st century. But while we may consider the prospect of curbing climate change or ending a global pandemic through remote work, it’s important to confront a hard truth: Not every business is thriving in the new normal.
In Slack’s survey of 2,800 knowledge economy workers, nearly 45% of people who are working remotely for the first time because of the pandemic say their sense of belonging within their teams has suffered. Further, 23% said working remotely is worse for their overall job satisfaction, and 31% said their productivity is worse.
For the many newly-remote teams that feel disconnected and inefficient, there’s a good chance they haven’t put the right attention into a key detail: asynchronous work. If done well, ‘asynchronous’ is what allows remote teams to work more effectively than they otherwise would in an office. But if it’s not approached correctly, people will feel even more disconnected.
What Does ‘Asynchronous’ Look Like?
I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with many businesses that have made the transition to working remotely as well as, build and manage their remote personnel. Remote companies that operate the smoothest always seem to understand the importance of asynchronous work.
So what is it exactly?
Traditionally speaking, building things or making decisions requires having people together, whether that’s in a boardroom or an assembly line. But technology has made it possible for teams to operate cohesively without all being in the same place, or even at the same time.
Big decisions, nuanced communication, and complex projects can all be handled through strategic asynchronous collaboration. When teams prioritize asynchronous work in the right way, it gives everyone more flexibility, more dedicated time for long stretches of focused work, and more autonomy to create their optimal work-life balance.
Everyday ‘Asynchronous’
Almost everyone works in some asynchronous capacity without even thinking about it. Take email, for example. It gives us the power to reflect, do research, and even revise our thoughts in the midst of a conversation. Communicating in this asynchronous fashion is incredibly useful.
But for remote teams, there’s a common pitfall: falling into the habit of using email or a chat messenger almost exclusively, even for conversations that most office-based teams would handle face-to-face. Without the nuance of facial expressions, tone, and other physical cues, the message can be misconstrued. Over time, it erodes the quality of working relationships.
Creating an Asynchronous Infrastructure
Fortunately, there are ways for remote teams to mitigate the drawbacks of not working physically together at the same time. In fact, smart asynchronous work can even create advantages that are not possible for in-office teams.
How Teams Can Make That Happen:
- Use video applications to record video messages for complex discussions.
Tools like Loom make it easy to send a video that colleagues can view at any time. You can also share your screen, speed the videos up, and rewatch them. - Eliminate unnecessary meetings.
Have a frank discussion about whether the objectives of a recurring meeting can be met by maintaining a Google Doc, spreadsheet, or even a quick Loom video. - Don’t try to eliminate every meeting though.
Certain meetings, like regular one-on-ones with a manager and quarterly reviews, should always happen in a live conversation. - Make space for synchronous conversations that don’t have anything to do with work.
If there is no structure for spontaneous conversations to happen, team members are far less likely to feel like they’re part of the team. Our company uses Donut, a Slack integration, to randomly pair team members for a call every other week. It also suggests talking points, and we encourage people to use these meetings to talk about things others than work. - Introduce ‘asynchronous’ to your hiring process.
Use Hireflix to ‘asynchron-ize’ parts of the hiring and interview process. With Hireflix, candidates answer prerecorded questions that get sent to the hiring manager as a video response. It makes the early parts of the interview process more flexible for both parties. - Use better tools for asynchronous communication.
We like to use Twist, as it’s better than email since it automatically archives conversations based on the topic and can be searched, like a reference catalog. When teams commit to communicating this way, it facilitates transparency about decisions, processes, and other important updates within the company. This level of transparency is absolutely crucial for maintaining a culture of trust in any organization.
It’s inevitable to keep some meetings on the calendar, and some parts of your business will have to keep happening while people are working together in real-time. But if you pay careful attention to the ways your remote team can effectively work asynchronously, chances are that the people on your team will feel more connected and productive, therefore happier and more successful in the long term.
Originally published here.
