Overcoming the Barriers to Remote Work

Despite its many benefits, remote work also brings its own challenges. Understand what they are, and how to fix them.

Photo by Susanna Marsiglia on Unsplash

In previous articles, we discussed lots of best practices for remote and async teams. At this point, most understand the benefits of remote work for companies and employees. For companies, some of the benefits are global availability of resources, lower costs and increased capacity. For employees, seen are flexibility, global collaboration, increased autonomy, work-life balance, and more.

However, despite its popularity, remote work has its own challenges. So are some guidelines that you (and your team) should be aware of when working on a remote/async setting.

Barriers to Async work (and how to fix them)

Communication Gaps

Without real-time communication, there may be delays in responding to questions or issues, which can slow down decision-making and problem-solving. Make sure that documentation is always kept up to date and teams understand where to find it.

Misunderstandings

Written communication can sometimes lack the nuances of verbal communication, leading to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of messages. Establish a code of conduct for the team and foster safe zones of communication so that noise is minimized.

Time Zone Differences

When team members are spread across different time zones, coordinating work and communication can be challenging and it may lead to extended response times and difficulties in scheduling meetings or discussions. Document the different timezones your team operates in, and coach team members to respect their own personal time.

Overload of Information

Async work often involves written documentation and messages. Information overload can occur when there is too much documentation or communication to process effectively. Create effective documentation so everything is searchable, reducing the burden on one's memory.

Lack of Spontaneity

Async work may lack the spontaneity of face-to-face or real-time interactions, making it challenging to address urgent issues promptly. Make sure virtual happy hours exist with the purpose of social integration. If team members live near each other, facilitate in-person events.

Dependency on Written Skills

Some team members may struggle with written communication skills, leading to less effective collaboration in an async environment. If one can't write good documentation, distribute the task among other team members.

Difficulty in Fostering Creativity

Collaborative brainstorming and idea generation may be less effective in async settings where spontaneous discussions are limited. Leverage virtual boards such as Miro (or Figma) and encourage everyone to collaborate.

Dependency on Technology

Async work relies heavily on technology and digital tools. Technical issues or downtime can disrupt work and communication. Make sure team members go through necessary trainings, that they understand how to effectively communication and have proper access to documentation. Finally, encourage recordings so the unavailable can follow up later.

Accountability

Ensuring that tasks are completed and deadlines are met can be more challenging in an async environment without real-time monitoring and follow-up. Make sure teams understand the project deadlines. Use boards like Jira that increase accountability and awareness of the deliverables.

Cultural Differences

Different cultures have varying norms and expectations around communication and work styles. These differences can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts in async teams. Make sure the environment is respectful, and team members understand and respect cultural differences.

Conclusion

To overcome these barriers, organizations and teams can implement strategies and best practices, such as providing training, setting clear expectations, establishing communication protocols, and selecting appropriate tools.

However, it's essential to recognize that async work is not suitable for all situations and to strike a balance between async and synchronous work when necessary to meet the needs of the team and the nature of the work being done.

Running effective asynchronous (async) meetings

In the remote/asynchronous world we live in, running effective asynchronous (async) meetings is becoming a popular reality. Here's what you need to know to succeed.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Hey, good news! In the remote era, running effective asynchronous (async) meetings is possible! On this post, let's understand how to succeed, run and participate in async meetings.

What is an async meeting?

What do you understand by "async meeting"? Yes, it's essentially a meeting that happens asynchronously, where participants engage without the need for same-time communication. Its biggest benefit is asynchronous collaboration, especially in remote or distributed work environments where team members work in different locations of the globe.

Best Practices for Async Meetings

So let's review some tips on how to run effective (and productive) async meetings.

Set Clear Objectives

First, you should define the purpose and goals of the meeting. What specific outcomes or decisions does the team want to achieve?

Choose the Right Tools

Next, make sure you utilize collaboration and communication tools designed for async meetings. Popular options include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or dedicated async meeting platforms.

TIP: Check our previous post on async work for more information.

Schedule in Advance

Announce the async meeting well in advance to allow participants to plan their time and contribute thoughtfully.

Provide Context

Share background information, documents, and relevant context before the meeting. Make sure participants have all the necessary information to contribute effectively.

Set a Deadline

Because async meetings don't end at the same time for everyone, it's important to specify a deadline for participants to provide their input or feedback. This creates a sense of urgency and helps keep the meeting on schedule.

Agenda and Structure

Create a clear agenda that outlines the topics, questions, or tasks to be addressed during the meeting. Organize the meeting into structured sections to make it easy for participants to follow and respond to specific points.

Use Clear Communication

Write clear and concise messages or prompts. Avoid overly lengthy or ambiguous messages that could lead to misunderstandings.

Encourage Participation

Before, during and after the event, make sure that everyone understands that their input is valuable. Encourage participants to contribute their ideas, suggestions, or feedback openly.

Set Expectations

As sync meetings, async meetings have a goal. Clearly communicate the expected level of participation and the timeline for responses. Be explicit about the desired outcome for each participant, or for the team.

Follow-Up and Reminders

Another good practice is to send reminders and follow-up messages to participants as the deadline approaches. Ensure that no one forgets to contribute.

Consolidate Responses

Once all responses are collected, consolidate and summarize them into a cohesive document or message. Highlight key points, decisions, and action items.

TIP: Use GenAI to summarize the information. Why not?

Document the Meeting

Keep a record of the meeting's outcomes, decisions, and action items. Share this documentation with all participants for reference.

Decision-Making Process

If the async meeting is intended for decision-making, clearly outline the decision-making process and criteria. Use a voting system or other method to reach a consensus.

Review and Iterate

After the async meeting, evaluate its effectiveness. Gather feedback from participants and make improvements for future async meetings.

Considerations

But async meetings has its challenges too. Here are some details that organizations should consider.

Manage Overload

Be cautious about overloading participants with too many async meetings. Prioritize and schedule them judiciously to avoid burnout.

Assign Roles

Designate a facilitator or organizer responsible for managing the meeting and ensuring that participants stay on track.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Ensure that all participants have equal access to the meeting materials and can contribute comfortably. Consider time zones and different work schedules to accommodate global teams.

Respect Time Zones

Be mindful of time zone differences when setting deadlines and sending reminders. Use tools that display multiple time zones to avoid confusion.

Conclusion

Effective async meetings can enhance collaboration, allow for thoughtful contributions, and accommodate the diverse schedules and preferences of team members in remote or distributed work settings. It's important to establish clear processes and expectations to make async meetings a valuable and efficient part of your team's workflow.