Amid the many organizations forcing workers to return to the office full-time, there are some that are strongly advocating for remote work forever.
GitLab is one of the latter, and they published an in-depth article explaining exactly how they manage remote workers. The key is promoting asynchronous (asynch) working practices.
They list 6 benefits. My favorite 3 are:
1. It provides autonomy, empowerment, and agency
You get to manage your schedule and don’t need to worry about other people’s schedules. This means people are free to achieve results when it best suits them.
2. It increases efficiency and boosts productivity
You only receive work when it’s ready for you. There’s no time wasted while you wait for someone to complete their tasks.
3. It is more inclusive
If you have a disability, working at your own pace means you are less negatively impacted. Also, people from around the world don’t need to be pushed into a single timezone.
There are obviously many considerations while implement asynch working. One quote that stuck in my head was, “How would I deliver this message, present this work, or move this project forward right now if no one else on my team were awake?”.
Love it! I strongly believe if more people asked themselves this question, we’d have fewer meetings and existing meetings would be more effective, regardless whether we worked asynch or synch.
The GitLab article continues to mention a ton use useful information, including
- How to implement asynch workflows & best practices
- How to manage asynch meetings & when to switch to synch meetings
- Limitations and challenges
The takeaway
With the right methodology and tools, working remotely can be significantly more productive than on-site work. Asynchronously working is one of those right methodologies.