October 26, 2023
What Is asynchronous working?
What can help us regain our productivity? Asynchronous working is a new method of remote work that can help you regain your time.
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What can help us regain our productivity? Asynchronous working is a new method of remote work that can help you regain your time.
Thanks to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how its effects were felt by every single one of us, we have officially arrived at the age of remote working. Be it working for yourself, self-employment, or flexible working - there is now a greater emphasis on remote technology becoming integrated into the workplace, such as with Zoom, Teams, and other programs. As always, this was going to pose a challenge to neurodivergent employees, as well as our productivity levels.
Enter, asynchronous working. But just what is this new method of organization, and why does it matter? How can it impact our productivity levels in the workplace? This is a whistle-stop tour to answer all your frequently answered questions.
In a nutshell, asynchronous working is the "practice of not requiring everyone on your team to work at the same time." That's the definition that Google throws up, and it's a pretty broad idea. But it means that when it comes to remote work, such as if you work from home and have to be online every day, employees can work at their own pace. They are not all required to be online at the exact same time, regardless of the time zone. If you work in an office, it means dispensing with the idea of the standardized 9-5 timetable.
A lot has been said about productivity in recent years, with people such as Elizabeth Day and Emma Gannon writing about the topic. "The Multi-Hyphen Method," Gannon's guide to a new way of working, points out that there is something of a productivity crisis in the UK. Written years prior to the pandemic, this book points out that this is the least productive country in the EU and dismantles some of the productivity myths of the workplace that hold us all back. Presenteeism, a practice of showing up but not to work, just to fill a place, is something that happens a lot culturally, too. Rather than following the same arbitrary patterns of the workplace, on the basis 'this is the way we have always done things,' we can change our ways of working, interacting, creating to achieve more in the same time we are allocated. Time saved and maximized for the best possible outcome for an employer can only be a good thing.
What can help us regain our productivity? Asynchronous working is a new method of remote work that can help you regain your time.
Thanks to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how its effects were felt by every single one of us, we have officially arrived at the age of remote working. Be it working for yourself, self-employment, or flexible working - there is now a greater emphasis on remote technology becoming integrated into the workplace, such as with Zoom, Teams, and other programs. As always, this was going to pose a challenge to neurodivergent employees, as well as our productivity levels.
Enter, asynchronous working. But just what is this new method of organization, and why does it matter? How can it impact our productivity levels in the workplace? This is a whistle-stop tour to answer all your frequently answered questions.
In a nutshell, asynchronous working is the "practice of not requiring everyone on your team to work at the same time." That's the definition that Google throws up, and it's a pretty broad idea. But it means that when it comes to remote work, such as if you work from home and have to be online every day, employees can work at their own pace. They are not all required to be online at the exact same time, regardless of the time zone. If you work in an office, it means dispensing with the idea of the standardized 9-5 timetable.
A lot has been said about productivity in recent years, with people such as Elizabeth Day and Emma Gannon writing about the topic. "The Multi-Hyphen Method," Gannon's guide to a new way of working, points out that there is something of a productivity crisis in the UK. Written years prior to the pandemic, this book points out that this is the least productive country in the EU and dismantles some of the productivity myths of the workplace that hold us all back. Presenteeism, a practice of showing up but not to work, just to fill a place, is something that happens a lot culturally, too. Rather than following the same arbitrary patterns of the workplace, on the basis 'this is the way we have always done things,' we can change our ways of working, interacting, creating to achieve more in the same time we are allocated. Time saved and maximized for the best possible outcome for an employer can only be a good thing.
Neurodiversity as an umbrella term encompasses a wide range of conditions, some of which can come into conflict with each other. However, asynchronous working being optimized to its fullest extent would allow a neurodivergent person to attend to their own access needs and still get their work done, even though they may not be online at the same time as everyone else. As an example, the author of this very piece is an autistic person, as well as a suspected dyspraxic. They have trouble waking up each morning, which is also impacted by chronic pain issues due to catching COVID-19. This way of working would allow them to keep their pain to the lowest possible level, maintain their health, and work to the best of their ability, and to the most productive ability, too. Neurodiversity has often been lauded as an asset to the workplace, with new skills being brought in to refresh industries, businesses, etc. In order to achieve this way of being, we need to create the optimal environment of inclusion.
What employers can do to help If there is someone neurodivergent in your organization, talk to them about the work environment first of all. Then, think about the concept of asynchronous working and how it can be applied to their specific circumstance; can they be excused from being in the office all the time? Can they work their own hours with set tasks per day, week, month, etc.? Are there any other meetings that can be potentially eliminated, such as being turned into an email or a quick message on the in-house communication system?
Much has been made of remote work being an excuse to not work or as a way of getting out of work, in 'slacking off.' Yet, studies show the workplace is not working - with hundreds of hours often lost due to wasted meetings when issues can be resolved just with an email. As society continues to change and evolve, so do we, and asynchronous working could be the way forward.
What can help us regain our productivity? Asynchronous working is a new method of remote work that can help you regain your time.
Thanks to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how its effects were felt by every single one of us, we have officially arrived at the age of remote working. Be it working for yourself, self-employment, or flexible working - there is now a greater emphasis on remote technology becoming integrated into the workplace, such as with Zoom, Teams, and other programs. As always, this was going to pose a challenge to neurodivergent employees, as well as our productivity levels.
Enter, asynchronous working. But just what is this new method of organization, and why does it matter? How can it impact our productivity levels in the workplace? This is a whistle-stop tour to answer all your frequently answered questions.
In a nutshell, asynchronous working is the "practice of not requiring everyone on your team to work at the same time." That's the definition that Google throws up, and it's a pretty broad idea. But it means that when it comes to remote work, such as if you work from home and have to be online every day, employees can work at their own pace. They are not all required to be online at the exact same time, regardless of the time zone. If you work in an office, it means dispensing with the idea of the standardized 9-5 timetable.
A lot has been said about productivity in recent years, with people such as Elizabeth Day and Emma Gannon writing about the topic. "The Multi-Hyphen Method," Gannon's guide to a new way of working, points out that there is something of a productivity crisis in the UK. Written years prior to the pandemic, this book points out that this is the least productive country in the EU and dismantles some of the productivity myths of the workplace that hold us all back. Presenteeism, a practice of showing up but not to work, just to fill a place, is something that happens a lot culturally, too. Rather than following the same arbitrary patterns of the workplace, on the basis 'this is the way we have always done things,' we can change our ways of working, interacting, creating to achieve more in the same time we are allocated. Time saved and maximized for the best possible outcome for an employer can only be a good thing.
Neurodiversity as an umbrella term encompasses a wide range of conditions, some of which can come into conflict with each other. However, asynchronous working being optimized to its fullest extent would allow a neurodivergent person to attend to their own access needs and still get their work done, even though they may not be online at the same time as everyone else. As an example, the author of this very piece is an autistic person, as well as a suspected dyspraxic. They have trouble waking up each morning, which is also impacted by chronic pain issues due to catching COVID-19. This way of working would allow them to keep their pain to the lowest possible level, maintain their health, and work to the best of their ability, and to the most productive ability, too. Neurodiversity has often been lauded as an asset to the workplace, with new skills being brought in to refresh industries, businesses, etc. In order to achieve this way of being, we need to create the optimal environment of inclusion.
What employers can do to help If there is someone neurodivergent in your organization, talk to them about the work environment first of all. Then, think about the concept of asynchronous working and how it can be applied to their specific circumstance; can they be excused from being in the office all the time? Can they work their own hours with set tasks per day, week, month, etc.? Are there any other meetings that can be potentially eliminated, such as being turned into an email or a quick message on the in-house communication system?
Much has been made of remote work being an excuse to not work or as a way of getting out of work, in 'slacking off.' Yet, studies show the workplace is not working - with hundreds of hours often lost due to wasted meetings when issues can be resolved just with an email. As society continues to change and evolve, so do we, and asynchronous working could be the way forward.
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