More of us are working different hours than our colleagues, reducing our real-time communication. Will it stay this way? O.K., maybe it won’t, but it is changing the nature of the work we do and how we communicate with each other as a result.
Asynchronous Communication
This is asynchronous communication: exchanges that don’t happen in real time, but rather on your own time
- The pandemic has made asynchronous communication more common, even for companies with no international staff
- Remote and async work are not the same as’remote’
- In asynchronous work, workers complete tasks on their own timetable, which may be very different to that of their colleagues
- Benefits of asynchronous include the ability to set aside time for deep thinking and onboard new employees
The pandemic has caused a shift toward asynchronous communication
Asynchronous communication “gives people more autonomy in how they work, and with that comes more responsibility”, says Kristen Shockley, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Georgia.
- Less hand-holding means the worker is responsible for their own productivity, but this asks for a lot of employer trust, which may open up problems of micromanagement.
Asynchronous Communication
Companies need to commit to making asynchronous communication part of their culture
- There is still a lot of work to be done synchronously
- Teams will still want real-time communication to make decisions, do creative brainstorming, and build relationships with their colleagues and customers
- Asynchronous communication allows for more freedom and responsibility
