Here’s All That You Need To Know About Asynchronous Work

October 26, 2022

Here’s All That You Need To Know About Asynchronous Work

Remote work is here to stay and is the future of working. Learn all you need to know about asynchronous work and how it can help future-proof your business.

What Is Asynchronous Work?

Just a few years ago, every employee clocked in at the same time to begin their work day. Remote and hybrid working has made this old style of work nearly extinct. Today, businesses operate across time zones and the world is truly globalized, with companies boasting a diverse workforce, clocking in from different corners of the planet.

This has led to the rise of asynchronous work. The technical definition of asynchronous work is when teams work at different times instead of following the same 9 to 5. For example, one employee might begin work at 9.30 am local Qatar time, while another might have already commenced work at 9 am Pakistani standard time.

There are different levels of asynchronous work, depending on your employees' location and working style. Very often, there is an overlap in the active time of employees. There might also be no cross-over due to vast time differences.

As you can imagine, asynchronous work has pros and cons. That said, the right workplace culture and leadership can help companies overcome the challenges of asynchronous work and build a truly global talent network.

A Few Reasons Why Your Business Should Embrace Asynchronous Work

Working asynchronously offers several benefits:

  • It helps to increase employee productivity as employees can focus on deep work without getting distracted by meetings
  • It creates a culture of autonomy – where you trust your employees to deliver their best, without anyone monitoring them 24 x 7
  • It increases employee well-being, engagement and satisfaction – your employees can decide the best times to work, improving their work-life balance.
  • It helps you build a truly diverse and global talent pool, helping you expand your business internationally.

Despite its many benefits, few companies are eager to embrace asynchronous work due to its inherent challenges.

Best Practices For Effective Asynchronous Working

Here are a few tips to help you ease the learning curve and transition to asynchronous working without any challenges.

Define The Defacto Mode And Channel Of Communication

Ensure all employees know which communication channels to use and when to use them. For example, you might use Slack for your internal communications and rely on email only when communicating with clients, vendors and other external parties.

Implement No Meeting Workdays

Meetings are a time-killer, especially when they aren't planned well. To avoid productivity loss to meetings, implement no-meeting workdays. For example, you can schedule all work meetings to only a specific weekday, say Mondays or Wednesdays. The other days are for deep work sans distractions. That said, you need to hold brainstorming sessions to bring out the best in your employees. Make sure you have a clear plan for these sessions and include only people who need to be there.

Leverage Technology

Asynchronous work gets better when you use the right tools and technologies. For example, when looking for a serviced office for rent in Doha, Qatar, make sure that it comes equipped with super-fast internet connectivity and modern conference rooms so that your core team can stay connected with remote employees around the clock.

Use other asynchronous tools like Miro boards, Monday, Loom and Google Workspace to collaborate and work cohesively with the rest of your team, irrespective of their location and time zone.

Switch Over To Asynchronous Work

Asynchronous work might seem like a bit of a challenge. But once you get used to it, it can be enriching, helping you increase employee productivity while harnessing the potential of global talents.

If you want to quickly set up a co-working space for your business in Doha, reach out to Global Business Centre. With several premium offices for rent in Qatar, we can help you find the best office space that fits your business requirements and budget.