Many remote teams are spread across cities, countries or continents. When your morning is a colleague’s evening, you cannot always talk in real time. That is where asynchronous work, or “async”, comes in: communicating and collaborating without everyone being online at the same moment.
Async can feel slow and confusing at first. Done well, it gives people more focus time and makes teams more inclusive across schedules. Here is how it works and how to thrive in it.
Synchronous vs asynchronous
| Synchronous | Asynchronous | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Video calls, live chat, phone | Shared documents, recorded videos, email, comments, chat threads |
| Timing | Everyone at the same time | People respond when available |
| Best for | Complex discussions, relationship building, urgent issues | Updates, reviews, decisions with clear information, documentation |
| Risk | Excludes people in other time zones; interrupts focus | Delays if messages lack information |
Most remote teams use both. The skill is choosing the right one.
Write async-friendly messages
In async work, every round trip can cost a day. A message that needs three follow-up questions might delay a task by three days. Make each message complete:
- Context: what this is about and why it matters.
- The question or request: specific and clear.
- Options or your proposal: so the other person can just approve.
- Deadline: with time zone.
- Links: to documents, files or previous discussions.
Async-friendly request
“Hi Lena, for the onboarding checklist update (link), I’d like to move the IT setup step from day 2 to day 1, because three new hires last month couldn’t log in on their first morning. Option A: move it as proposed. Option B: keep it on day 2 but send login details by email the week before. I’m planning to publish on Thursday at 12:00 CET. Could you let me know your preference by Wednesday?”
Respect time zones
- Know where your colleagues are. Add their time zones to your calendar or use a world clock.
- Always state time zones in deadlines and meeting times: “Thursday 15:00 UTC”.
- Find overlap hours for necessary live meetings and protect them.
- Rotate inconvenient meeting times so the same people are not always on early or late calls.
- Use scheduled send so messages arrive during the recipient’s working hours.
- Do not expect immediate answers outside someone’s day.
Document decisions
In async teams, documentation is the shared memory. After any decision:
- Write a short summary of what was decided, why and who owns the next step.
- Post it in the agreed place: the project document, ticket or channel.
- Link to it in related conversations.
Our guide to writing actionable meeting notes applies to async decisions too.
Plan around handoffs
When work moves between time zones, plan clear handoffs:
- End your day with an update on what is done, what is next and what is blocked.
- Leave files in a state someone else can pick up.
- Flag anything urgent clearly, with instructions.
A good handoff can mean your work progresses while you sleep.
Use recorded video when it helps
Short screen recordings can explain a process or give feedback faster than a long written message, and colleagues can watch them when convenient. Keep them short, label them clearly and add a written summary for people who prefer reading.
Avoid async pitfalls
| Pitfall | Fix |
|---|---|
| “Hi, are you there?” messages | Put the full question in the first message |
| Missing deadlines due to slow replies | Ask early; build in buffer time |
| Decisions buried in long threads | Summarize and link to a decision record |
| Feeling disconnected | Schedule occasional live calls in overlap hours |
| Over-reliance on meetings | Ask “Could this be a document or a comment?” |
Async etiquette for new employees
- Read existing documentation before asking.
- Respond within the agreed time frame, even if only to acknowledge.
- Keep your calendar and working hours visible.
- Be patient; a slow reply is often just a time difference.
Add your teammates’ time zones
Add your teammates’ time zones to your calendar today. For the next week, write every request using the five-part async structure above and include a deadline with a time zone. Combine this with our guide to communicating clearly on a remote team for a strong foundation.