Remote and hybrid working patterns have fundamentally changed the employee experience and workers have embraced the opportunity to balance the pressures of home and work life. In 2022, we will see a rise in employees seeking to add asynchronous work as a key engagement hook.
There is no question that 2021 paved the way for flexible work. What used to be considered the exception quickly became the norm as employees embraced the ability to choose. Employers also gained some unexpected benefits such as increased productivity, higher engagement, reduced physical operating costs, and access to a much larger talent pool.
While there are countless benefits to flexibility, it is becoming increasingly clear that more than ever, employees want to also manage their own time. Since ditching the daily commute, workers are realising that they have more time to blend the needs of family with the requirements of work. This means that as well as choosing ‘where’ they work, employees also want to choose ‘when’.
As we enter 2022, organisations are already experiencing employee requests to work at different times during the day. They want to run errands in the afternoon and finish the monthly report at night or sleep in and start work at lunch time. It is the ultimate shift from organising life around work to balancing work around your life. Welcome to the world of asynchronous work!
Asynchronous (async) is when members of the same team work during different times of the day. This may mean a morning or afternoon shift or it could be completely different time zones. Async working is vastly different from traditional working models when all team members are expected to be available during the same working window – e.g. 9am to 5pm (irrespective of location).
Async work is characterised by the premise that there is also async communication. This means that teams working in this way don’t expect their team mates to instantly reply or be automatically available for meetings. Team members are not required to be online simultaneously and one of the core principles is that employees are empowered to maximise their productivity when it best suits them and they are not reliant upon others working at the same time.
Async working:
In Australia, this form of working is only just gaining momentum, but it is tipped to be more prevalent as the year progresses. It is best trialled in organisations who have successfully embraced flexibility in their policies, values and practices.
When async working is done well, the benefits include:
Async working is relatively new to our workplaces and for some, it just may be a step too far. It is true that there are many benefits, however there are also some challenges to be aware of:
No one workplace strategy is the right solution for every business. An employer that is only just convincing the leadership group to allow employees to work from home one day a week is arguably not ready for this next step. For async work to bring benefits to both parties, the right due dilligence and culture readiness needs to occur.
Employers are encouraged to consider whether the position requirements, industry, and customer needs are conducive to async working or whether it would place unnecessary hurdles at this time. Similarly, if employees are paid under Award or Enterprise Agreements, consideration must be given to the implications of employees working outside the span of ‘ordinary hours’.
It is recommended that employers wishing to embrace async work ensure that they engage a range of platforms that are designed to increase team work, collaboration and productivity even when workers are not operating in the same working hours.
These tools should act as a guide, but should never be used to impose a new level of micro management or tracking that would break engagement. Employers considering the move to async work may wish to ease into it by establishing some guidelines that ensure there are at least a couple of hours a day where there is cross over.
There is no question that your business would have employees willing and able to make the jump to async working today, but there will also be those that will see it as counterproductive and a hurdle to team success. The challenge for employers is to take the time to test the waters and ensure that it is not just a few that are eager to make the leap.
Employers are encouraged to revise their approach to flexibility to ensure that it best meets the needs of the business and the employee group. Care should be taken to ensure that key changes in working arrangements are conducive to success and compliant with relevant industrial agreements. Ai Group has experienced HR consultants who can partner with your business to devise flexible workplace strategies designed to increase engagement and operational efficiency. For assistance with your workplace matters, Members of Ai Group can contact us or call our Workplace Advice Line on 1300 55 66 77 for further information.
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Georgina is Senior HR Content Editor – Publications at Ai Group. She is an accomplished Human Resource professional with over 25 years of generalist and leadership experience in a broad range of industries including financial services, tourism, travel, government and agriculture. She has successfully advised and partnered with senior leaders to implement people and performance initiatives that align to business strategy. Georgina is committed to utilising her experience to create resources that educate and engage and is passionate about supporting members to optimise an inclusive workforce culture that drives performance.
