Asynchronous vs Synchronous Communication & Remote Work

Many successful remote companies recommend that remote organizations spend the majority of their time communicating asynchronously. A ratio of about 70% asynchronous communication, 20% synchronous communication, and 5% in-person for team or company retreats seems to be a beneficial mix. For virtual teams—especially those working across several time zones—asynchronous communication is the most often used method of communication due to several factors.

Asynchronous communication is any form of communication that doesn’t occur in real time, with a delay between responses. For example, if an employee on the east coast sends an early morning email, their colleague on the west coast may still be sleeping, and so doesn’t reply until they are working several hours later. Overcommunicating doesn’t necessarily mean bombarding people with information at all hours. Prioritize sharing important information during peak work hours, or when people tend to overlap in their workday. Or create a task in your project management tool to review a specific update so everyone knows where to find it, regardless of when they’re online.

Wiki and Knowledge Management Software

If you can get over some of the initial challenges of managing employees who work away from the office, offer… At the heart of this are virtual workspace platforms, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. Both blogs and forums can be used to share information or start conversations. Most social media platforms allow users to post content that anyone can see. For example, an organization may use an intranet to post updates or announcements that employees can check at their convenience. VEED is the fastest and easiest way to make high quality, professional videos for eLearning, business training, sales presentations, and other applications.

Project management software is an excellent way for teams to stay organized and on track. This type of software typically includes features such as task lists, calendars, file sharing, and messaging. The software prioritizes asynchronous engagement through employee surveys, collaborative goal management, and more dynamic performance reviews.

Standardize your way of communication

Leading and managing a remote team requires effective communication and organization, and it all starts from the top. If your company is new to remote work, learning from other businesses that have been through the transition (or who were remote from the start!) can make definition of asynchronous communication all the difference. If employees are spread all over the world, chances are someone will have to attend a meeting outside of their normal working hours. Switch up meeting times and make sure the same employees don’t have to sacrifice their non-work time every time.

Asynchronous tools are ideal for sharing straightforward information where the potential to be misunderstood by someone else is low. If you are looking to transmit basic facts and information, this is a great way to do it. Another major benefit to this approach is that it automatically is saved for future reference as it persists.