Thanks to the pandemic, remote work has become the norm rather than an exception. Recent data shows that over 89% of workers expect future employers to offer at least some form of hybrid or flexible remote arrangement, with 58% saying they will look elsewhere if those expectations aren’t met.
Like it or not, remote work is here to stay. Rather than fight it, forward-thinking employers would instead benefit from looking into better ways to optimize the remote workday – such as adopting synchronous or asynchronous styles for remote work and communication.
Differentiating synchronous and asynchronous styles
To be synchronous is to be operating at the same time. Synchronous teams work and communicate in real-time, with immediate responses being the norm. That means questions are answered without delay and tasks are accomplished with greater speed.
Synchronous work scenarios include:
- Team members messaging each other on Slack or email and expecting a response within minutes
- Teams consistently meeting on video call platforms like Zoom to align, make split-second decisions and move to implementation.
On the flipside, asynchronous teams operate, work and communicate at different times. These teams tend to be more task or progress-oriented, rather than timeline-bound. With an asynchronous style of work, employees generally have more freedom with their time and energy, which helps planning and usually results in higher quality work.
Asynchronous work scenarios include:
- Team members messaging another on email and not expecting a response for hours or sometimes even an entire day.
- Work tasks are completed and delivered to team members gradually, rather than all at once.
Synchronous and asynchronous styles or principles have been used in numerous settings, from university classrooms to development teams. Today, they have their place in a remote work environment, so it’s useful to examine both in that context.
Analyzing their pros and cons
Both styles will impact the speed and efficiency of team workflows, communication and coordination, to varying degrees. It’s therefore important to understand the pros and cons of either, before implementing them into your remote teams.
Synchronous teams closely resemble those in the physical workspace, with various benefits and disadvantages.
The Pros
- Near-immediate responses help team agility and decision-making.
- Coordinated task execution which allows for better systemic planning.
- Complicated problem solving can be accomplished more easily.
- Feedback can be given more seamlessly, and improvements done faster.
The Cons:
- Difficult or nearly impossible to do with teammates in different time zones.
- Requires intense focus periods which is rare in home-based work environments.
- Unending disruption from a constant flood messages, emails and comments.
- Teams face constant pressure to respond and react immediately 24/7, hurting both mental and physical health.
Asynchronous teams seem like the best fit for flexible remote work, but consider its drawbacks also.
The Pros:
- Fewer real-time interruptions allow for deep focus and higher quality work.
- Better quality planning, as teams need to proactively plan ahead for deliverables.
- Natural communication and collaboration for teams across different time zones.
- Reduced pressure to respond instantly, lowering anxiety while allowing for more thoughtful and detailed replies.
The Cons:
- Team members must be disciplined and can plan ahead.
- Impossible to meet urgent last-minute deadlines or react to sudden problems.
- Delayed responses may create frustration within the team.
- Because teams can’t meet in real-time, decisions are often siloed and lack perspective or creativity.
- Teammates may feel isolated or lonely due to a lack of face-to-face interaction.
Which one is best for your remote work teams?
Quite simply, it depends on the nature of work and the requirements of your remote teams. It’s best to present the list or pros and cons above to team members and decide what works best based on their current needs or challenges.
Examples of teams that would benefit from a synchronous work style include customer service, IT help desks, public relations, sales, human resources and management. These teams operate at peak efficiency when they can rapidly respond to, or tightly coordinate on, business needs both internal and external.
Asynchronous work especially fits programming, business research, accounting and finance, and digital marketing teams. These teams often need to plan ahead anyway, benefit from agile workflows (think DevOps and data-driven planning) and aren’t as constricted to urgent timelines or the need to reactively respond to external business incidents.
In other words, companies don’t have to be confined to one approach – a hybrid mix of synchronous or asynchronous styles is often the best way to achieve business goals while delivering quality service to customers. As remote work becomes more ubiquitous, the implementation and maturity of both styles within a company’s business teams will prove critical towards attracting new talent – and retaining existing ones – in an increasingly competitive world.
