Is Asynchronous the Future: Everything to Know about an Async Work Environment
Webinar recording with SafetyWing
This November I participated as a panelist in a webinar on asynchronous communication, organized by SafetyWing and hosted hy Lona Alia. If you are more of an audio/visual person, here’s the (roughly 1-hour) recording featuring my co-palenists Becky Kane (Todoist) and Emma Giles (SoWork).
If you prefer to read, some (semi-controversial) thoughts below the video.
Asynchronous communication means we do not have to be in the same place at the same place in order to productively exchange information and do our work.
Moving to asynchronous work is a bit like reducing sugar intake.
You loose the immediate gratification of getting attention right away.
You need to plan when you’ll need what kind of information to curb your cravings.
And everyone need to be on board with this type of communication so you don’t cave in at the first meeting invite.
That said, in the long term, it makes your organization more resilient - even if it’s just because things tend go get written down more frequently.
Asynchronous communication is a productivity system on the company level
That also means, there is a spectrum. You don’t have to choose between 8 hours of meetings every day OR never ever speaking to your coworkers again.
Instead, look at the tools that have been developed for asynchronous organizations.
Review the processes that help them to figure out how to document their decisions.
Learn how to reduce the number of internal calls by 20%, or 50%, or whatever feels doable.
Asynchronous work doesn’t make your company a better place to work, just like a productivity system doesn’t make you a better person. However, getting some structure into otherwise reactive activity definitely makes for a less stressed organization (or person).
So, in the meantime, here are some questions for you regardless of whether you believe #asynchronous communication is a thing:
🗒️ How do you document your decisions?
🃏 How transparent is your decision making process?
🍬 How many internal meetings do your employees attend each week? How does this differ by role? And by manager style?
❄️ How comfortable are your people with digesting information and interacting with complex topics - on their own?
🧘 How comfortable are you waiting for an answer? How does that differ depending on the question?
🔍 How easy is it to find answers without asking someone?
Do the answers to these questions serve your organization's goal?
If not, what needs to change, incrementally?