SYNC TO ASYNC - ADJUSTING TO THE NEW WORK STYLE

Sync to Async Web Directions Summit 2022 Anton Ball @antonjb

40+ countries 10+ timezones 100+ employees

asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting an immediate response

synchronous communication is when you send a message and the recipient processes the information and responds immediately

Why async?

Ana - Head of design https://twitter.com/doist/status/1553062723272904704

Rasto - Head of Android https://twitter.com/doist/status/1553063464888717314

Amir - CEO https://twitter.com/doist/status/1552382823847403521

253% increase in meetings since the pandemic Microsoft Work Trend Index 2022: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index

80% knowledge worker’s day spent communicating Future Forum: https://futureforum.com/research/pulse-report-fall-2022-executives-feel-strain-leading-in-new-normal/

23 mins to regain focus Professor Michael Posner: University of Oregon

Dr. Glenn Wilson: King’s College London University

Vision, Mission and Values Default to trust Autonomy and responsibility Transparency by default Focus hard, disconnect fully Hands-on management Outcomes over hours worked Everyone is a writer Not async-only

Vision, Mission and Values

Ambition Mastery You aspire to put a dent in the universe. You set high standards for yourself and those around you. You solve issues that have a high impact on our customers and our company. You care deeply about the quality of your work. You’re continuously learning and pushing yourself to the limits of your ability. As a champion of your craft, you are also a champion of your well-being – you work intensely, then disconnect completely. Independence Others can trust that you’ll deliver on time. You keep your word and trust your teammates to do the same. You are proactive, take ownership, and remain accountable with little or no direction. Communication Your communication is clear, concise, and engaging. You keep others in the loop and never go radio silent. You speak respectfully and foster warm relationships through your interactions. You’re culturally and socially aware and can appropriately navigate social situations.

Build the future of work

https://growrk.com/blogs/news/onboarding-international-employee-guide/ Onboarding International Employees: The Essential Guide Chase Warrington

Default to trust

“Another concept […] is a trust battery. It’s charged at 50 percent when people are first hired. And then every time you work with someone … the trust battery between the two of you is either charged or discharged…” Tobi Lütke, Shopify

24 hour maximum to respond

https://blog.doist.com/trust-remote-workplace/ How to Build Trust in the Remote “Workplace” Brenna Loury

Autonomy and responsibility

Transparency by default

https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/handbook-first-documentation/ The importance of a handbook-first approach to documentation Darren Murph

Everyone is a writer

All the things you meant to say in the meeting

Oh…

• Over-communicate • Plan ahead to give people time to consider your message • Before meetings, start a thread or document • After meetings, document discussions and outcomes

Focus hard, disconnect fully

Do you have a minute? Hey… Psssst

DISCONNECT FOCUS

Turn off notifications

Remove the apps?

[…] a member of the ! Vacation Police (anyone at Doist) may help you with a friendly warning and encouragement to get back to your time away. Doist Hanbook

Outcomes over hours worked

Hands-on management

Hands-on management

Not async-only

Vision, Mission and Values Default to trust Autonomy and responsibility Transparency by default Focus hard, disconnect fully Hands-on management Outcomes over hours worked Everyone is a writer Not async-only

Individual • Over-communicate • Plan ahead to give people time to consider your message • Say no to unnecessary meetings • Before meetings, start a thread or document • After meetings, document discussions and outcomes • Turn off notifications – try removing work apps from your phone altogether • Use waiting time productively • Always check your document sharing settings

Team lead • Promote writing and communication as core skills • Evaluate people based on their output and results • Abolish required work hours or the requirements to come into an office • Emphasise trust, independence, and accountability • Set reasonable, team-wide expectations for acceptable response times • Make transparency and documentation a priority • Use tools that promote transparency, deep work, and async communication • For communication-heavy roles, implement a rotating coverage system • Hero and housekeeping time • Have communication channels for emergencies

https://blog.doist.com/ https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/non-linear-workday/ https://async.twist.com/ https://async.twist.com/async-collaboration-toolkit/

Anton Ball @antonjb