SWAY has been traveling the country presenting workshops that build happy hybrid teams. As we’ve measured data from each team and discussed their hybrid experiences, we’ve noticed they struggle to define the differences between asynchronous and synchronous work, making async adoption difficult. We believe success in the future of work relies on transitioning to async-by-default, so let’s get started on breaking it all down.
Defining the Terms
In a high-performing flexible and hybrid work environment, asynchronous work is the default: that means your team mostly works on their own with minimal in-person meetings or conversations. The first step is learning what qualifies as asynchronous work.
Asynchronous Work
Asynchronous means a team works on the same task at different times according to their own schedules. They typically track their work on a project management tool, so the other team members know when the task is completed and when to move on to the next step.
Examples of Asynchronous Tasks:
Researching for a project
Reviewing documents for accuracy
Some forms of brainstorming
Drafting an informational document
Writing articles
Most of these tasks take place when you’re alone at your desk with your headphones on working away. And you’re most likely thinking, “I could be doing this at home.”
Synchronous Work
Synchronous work happens with a team together on a call or at a conference room table. Previously forms of work defaulted to synchronous work, leaving people with the reaction, “this meeting could have been an email.”
But we’ve also been in places where the many emails or long Slack thread makes us say, “Let’s just hop on a call.”
Examples of Synchronous Tasks:
Perfecting a presentation deck
Ideation, collaboration, and critique
In some cases, you may not know the possible outcomes, and synchronous work with ideas from multiple parties can be helpful. But as this Atlassian podcast points out, some meetings are truly expensive with the number of salaries and length of unnecessary meetings. Before you call an in-person meeting, make sure you have an objective and a plan to run the meeting well.
How does asynchronous work level the playing field?
Here’s why asynchronous work as the default really matters: it levels the playing field for remote workers and provides an equitable option for employees who are neuro-diverse. .
When you allow employees to work at their best and trust them enough to get their tasks done, you’ve opened up the path for a working parent to pick up their child from school early due to sickness without guilt. You’ve made it possible for a person with a disability to work at their pace or when they feel best, rather than molding everyone into the old way of work.
Remember that the previous industrial revolution was built around machinery and assembly lines requiring everyone involved to work the same hours. But this next evolution of work prioritizes thought-work, and that can’t always be forced into a 9-5 model (or you may lose the people who have new thoughts to offer).
The Asynchronous Office Must-Haves
Maybe you’ve decided that you’re ready to make asynchronous work the default for your team: you’re tired of being in Zoom meetings all day, and you think there must be a better way to manage your work and life.
Here’s what you need to get started:
Resource Directory
At SWAY, we describe a writer-first mentality that puts async workers in the mindset of always documenting their work.
Together as a team, create an intuitive information architecture to search and share the information you need. You’ll also need to break the habit of attaching documents because you want your team to understand where to find their information. By attaching shared links to files, you can be confident your whole team is working off the same document.
Strategic Tools
Many companies offer all kinds of technology for remote workers, and people managers complain that no one uses the tools! For async to work well, you need to be strategic and consistent with how you share content.
Use the tech you have
Before trying to reinvent the wheel, look into the tech your company already offers. Don’t switch to Dropbox if everyone already has Google Drive with their company emails. Same for Slack vs. Teams. Yes, each has different benefits, but start with what you have instead of delaying the transition further.
Project management
You will need a project management tool to track async work on various projects. Maybe your company already offers a corporate plan, so again, start with what you have. The key is to commit to the platform. Watch the tutorials, build some templates, and send people back to it when they inevitably try to work around it.
Strategic Planning
Your team will need to plan how to use their time each week strategically. If they have in-office days, plan what they will work on that day. Make expectations and “office hours” clear and reliable. Communication is key.
Guided Insights provides some questions to consider when strategizing about better async and sync communication: To what degree does it matter whether your team uses the same communication channels as other teams? What’s the best mechanism for making foolproof handoffs from one team to another? How important is it that all team members have visibility to the work of the whole team at all times? What’s the trade-off between over communicating and under communicating? How easy will it be to shift gears or make changes? How often should we revisit our communications plan and make needed tweaks?
No one-size-fits-all plan
Your company may try to fit your team into their plan: three days in-office and set hours at home. But as the manager, you should advocate for your team’s needs. Many teams want to see their coworkers in-person and socialize throughout the day, but without a strategy, that may not even happen.
In a Recode article, one hybrid worker said, “If I go into the office and there are people but none of them are on my team, I don’t gain anything besides a commute.”
If you choose to return to the office (maybe it’s not at all necessary for your particular team), decide which days to go in and when to stay home.
Start building a happy hybrid team
SWAY offers workshops for teams, managers, and individuals to create a flexible work playbook that works for their team. Happy employees mean less turnover and more profits. Learn how your teams can be more strategic and efficient by contacting us for workshop details today.