
What Is Asynchronous Work? Tips, Tools and Benefits

Key Takeaways
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Asynchronous work, or async for short, has been around for a while, but the pandemic and ensuing remote working made companies step on the gas.
Companies began to adopt Slack, Loom video messaging, and Google Workspace, among many other async tools, to connect and collaborate with remote team members located in different places. Soon enough, these asynchronous work styles and communication methods became the norm.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about asynchronous working and how it can help remote teams achieve maximum results.
Asynchronous vs. synchronous
Synchronous work is when multiple people work together simultaneously, while asynchronous work is when each individual team member works according to their own schedule and routine.
In synchronous work, employees are expected to be online, available, and responsive during set hours. In contrast, async work allows individuals to respond and collaborate when it suits them without feeling pressured to be constantly responsive or online simultaneously.
Both synchronous and asynchronous work styles have their place in a remote and hybrid work environment. Synchronous working allows team members to connect for important real-time meetings or activities with their coworkers throughout the workday. In contrast, asynchronous allows teams to work when they are most productive and minimizes distractions and unnecessary meetings that can disrupt workflow and take valuable time.
What is asynchronous communication?
Asynchronous or async communication describes all modes of communication that do not require multiple workers to be available at the same time. In contrast, synchronous communication describes communication methods that take place in real-time, requiring workers to be present simultaneously.
In traditional in-office work environments, synchronous communication is more typical since workers may choose to approach their team members to ask a question or hold a meeting to discuss a topic. However, in a remote working environment, team members may instead send a message, write an email, or film a video.
What is an asynchronous workflow?
An asynchronous workflow describes the process of taking a piece of work from initiation through completion while minimizing blockers and bottlenecks using async communication and collaboration methods.
An effective async workflow involves team members breaking the workload into smaller tasks and frequently updating and recording progress. This workflow relies on effective communication, good documentation and writing skills, and asynchronous technology.
What are the benefits of asynchronous work?
Asynchronous working enables remote employees and contractors to collaborate and complete tasks from different places, but many other benefits come with this work style. Here’s an overview of the most important benefits:
Workplace autonomy
Asynchronous communication gives teams significant independence and flexibility on an individual and team level. Async work relieves your dependency on others to get work done and gives you the freedom to complete your work or respond to a colleague when it’s convenient for you.
Increased productivity
When team members have the freedom to determine their own time and work schedules, they can plan according to their needs without external influences. This approach enables teams to take a more focused approach to tasks, resulting in greater productivity and outcomes. Team members can devote enough time to uninterrupted deep work without the continual distractions from synchronous communication channels such as chats or video calls.
Enhanced accountability
Asynchronous working encourages team members to take ownership of their workload. As a result, workers are more likely to accept responsibility for their actions and are more engaged and committed to their work, which helps them to feel trusted and competent, leading to higher employee morale and satisfaction.
Better decision making
When teams work asynchronously, team members aren’t always available to answer immediate questions forcing individuals to make decisions based on their best judgment without assistance. This approach encourages workers to step outside their comfort zone and build confidence which aids development and career growth.
Empowered workforce
When a company entrusts its teams to work asynchronously, they feel empowered. An empowered workforce shares a sense of purpose and pride, leading to greater teamwork, creativity, and innovation.
Improved work-life balance
Asynchronous work models provide workers with the freedom to determine their own schedules. For example, if you’re more productive in the evening, you may choose to work a later day. If you need to attend a doctor’s appointment, you can adjust your work schedule. If you decide to take a workcation in a different country, you can change your hours to suit the new time zone.
Clear communication
Synchronous communication, like instant messaging and phone and video calls, creates a sense of urgency or demand, leading to rushed and inaccurate responses and poor decisions. Working asynchronously gives workers time to process information at their own pace and form a carefully considered response without pressure to respond immediately. Communication tools such as Slack enable teams to edit and revise their messages to ensure they are clear and efficient.
Time zone equality
Asynchronous collaboration allows remote workers to operate across different time zones without work-hour discrepancies. For example, one worker lives in the UK, and the other in the US. In this scenario, neither worker needs to adjust their hours to fit around the others as they can communicate asynchronously to get the job done.
Greater transparency
When communicating asynchronously using tools such as Slack messages, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, workers create a trail of data that team members can easily trace, refer to, and save. For example, Slack has a helpful search function to revisit past discussions, mentions, and files. In addition, tools like Notion and Google docs allow you to make shared notes in real-time and view revisions, and comments, improving visibility.
Empower a fully remote team

What are the limitations of async work?
The primary limitations of async working can be attributed to the failure to adopt the right mindset or implement async practices among remote and hybrid teams. The resulting challenges and solutions are as follows:
- Isolation: Some employees may feel alienated or lonely due to a lack of face-to-face meetings or in-person interactions. Check out our blog article, How to Avoid Feeling Lonely When Working From Home, to discover how remote teams can be more intentional with their social engagement.
- Misinterpretation: No matter how concise, written communication can’t always express the emotion and tone required for individuals to understand the meaning of a message. Emojis, voice notes, and videos can help to convey a message more accurately.
- False expectations: Async communication can be difficult for work that demands urgent action. However, with foresight and planning, a job should rarely require such an immediate response.
Tools for async work
Video conferencing software
- Google Meet
- Skype
- Zoom
Instant messaging
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
Video messaging
- Loom
- Vimeo
- Soapbox
Web-based applications
- Google Workspace
- Notion
- Evernote
Project management platforms
- Jira
- Asana
- Trello
- Basecamp
- Monday
Tips and best practices
Build an asynchronous culture: Technology alone will not guarantee the effectiveness of asynchronous working. Company leaders must ensure that the work culture supports this approach. Internal protocols and guidelines help to outline the codes of conduct and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Use synchronous communication sparingly: You don’t need to turn your back on real-time communication altogether. Asynchronous teams can still capitalize on any overlap hours and bring teams together for Zoom meetings or instant messaging conversations as long as they are kept to a minimum with async as the default.
Updating statuses on Slack is a great way for team members to display whether they are available, busy, out of the office, or taking lunch, in case a colleague wants to contact them spontaneously.
Is asynchronous the future of work?
Build your best asynchronous team in 2023 with Deel
- A Guide to Onboarding an Asynchronous Worker [Tips and Checklist]
- A Guide On How to Scale Global HR
- What Is Remote Work? A Guide to Understanding the Future of Work
Read enough? Book a demo to see how Deel works in action.