work-styles

Async Work: The Complete Guide to Asynchronous Work

Also known as: asynchronous work, async communication, async-first

A work style where team members do not need to be online or available at the same time, communicating through written messages, recorded videos, and documentation rather than real-time meetings.

Async work (asynchronous work) is a communication and collaboration style where team members work independently without needing to be online at the same time. Instead of real-time meetings and instant responses, async teams rely on written documentation, recorded videos, and thoughtful messages. This approach is essential for remote teams spanning multiple time zones, as it eliminates the need for inconvenient meeting times and allows everyone to contribute during their most productive hours. The key benefit is true timezone flexibility—a developer in Tokyo and a designer in London can collaborate effectively without either sacrificing sleep or personal time.

Definition

Async Work

Async work (short for asynchronous work) is a work methodology where collaboration happens without requiring simultaneous participation from team members. Communication occurs through persistent, written channels—such as project management tools, shared documents, recorded video messages, and threaded discussions—rather than synchronous meetings or instant messaging that demands immediate responses. This approach prioritizes thoughtful, documented communication over real-time interaction, enabling teams distributed across time zones to work together effectively.

Key Facts About Async Work
    • Deep work benefits: Async environments reduce interruptions, allowing 2-3 more hours of focused work daily compared to meeting-heavy cultures
    • Timezone independence: Team members in any location can contribute during their peak productivity hours without scheduling conflicts
    • Documentation requirement: Async work demands strong written communication and comprehensive documentation practices to succeed
    • Response time expectations: Most async teams expect responses within 24 hours for standard requests, not minutes or hours
    • Tools used: Popular async tools include Loom (video), Notion (docs), Slack (async mode), Linear (projects), and GitLab (code collaboration)

Async Communication Tools

Successful async teams rely on purpose-built tools that support non-real-time collaboration:

Video Messaging

  • Loom - Record and share screen recordings with commentary; recipients watch on their own time
  • Vidyard - Video messaging with analytics to see who watched
  • Vimeo Record - Quick video creation integrated with Vimeo hosting

Documentation Platforms

  • Notion - All-in-one workspace for docs, wikis, and project tracking
  • Confluence - Enterprise documentation with deep Atlassian integration
  • GitBook - Developer-focused documentation with version control

Async-Friendly Messaging

  • Slack (async mode) - Scheduled messages, status indicators, and do-not-disturb settings
  • Twist - Thread-first messaging designed for async teams
  • Basecamp - Project-focused communication without real-time pressure

Project Management

  • Linear - Modern issue tracking with async workflows
  • GitLab Issues - Development-integrated task management
  • Asana - Task management with clear ownership and deadlines

When Async Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Async communication is not universally superior—the key is knowing when to use it.

Async Works Well For:

  • Complex decisions requiring thought - When people need time to research, reflect, and formulate considered opinions
  • Status updates and progress reports - Weekly summaries are more efficient than daily standups
  • Code reviews and technical feedback - Reviewers can take time to understand context deeply
  • Cross-timezone collaboration - The only practical approach when team spans 8+ hours
  • Documentation and knowledge sharing - Written records benefit everyone, present and future
  • Creative work requiring focus - Designers and developers need uninterrupted time

Sync Works Better For:

  • Emergencies and outages - When every minute counts, get everyone on a call
  • Emotionally sensitive conversations - Feedback, conflicts, and personal matters need real-time nuance
  • Brainstorming sessions - Rapid idea generation benefits from energy and spontaneity
  • Onboarding new team members - Early relationship building needs face time
  • Complex negotiations - Back-and-forth discussions resolve faster in real-time
  • Team building and culture - Some synchronous interaction maintains human connection

Companies Known for Async Work

Several prominent companies have built their entire operations around async-first principles, proving the model works at scale:

  • GitLab (2,000+ employees, all-remote) — The gold standard for async work. Their public handbook documents every process, decision, and policy. Meetings require written agendas and must produce documented outcomes.
  • Automattic (2,000+ employees, distributed) — The company behind WordPress operates across 90+ countries with minimal synchronous meetings. They famously use internal blogs (P2) for most communication.
  • Doist (100+ employees, async-first) — Makers of Todoist and Twist, Doist practices what they preach with their async communication tool. Team members set their own schedules with no expectation of immediate responses.
  • Basecamp (50+ employees, remote) — Pioneered many async practices documented in their books “Remote” and “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work.” They use 6-week work cycles with minimal meetings.
  • Buffer (85+ employees, fully remote) — Known for radical transparency and async communication. They publish salaries publicly and default to written communication over video calls.

Transitioning to Async Work

Moving from a sync-heavy work style to async requires deliberate changes in habits and expectations:

For Individual Contributors

  1. Write longer, more complete messages — Include all context upfront instead of starting with “hey, quick question?” and waiting for a response
  2. Record Loom videos for anything that would take more than 2 paragraphs to explain in text
  3. Set clear expectations on when you’ll respond — “I check messages at 9am, 1pm, and 4pm” removes anxiety for both sides
  4. Document decisions wherever they happen — if a decision gets made in a DM, post it in the relevant project channel

For Managers

  1. Replace status meetings with async updates — Weekly written updates take 15 minutes to write and 5 minutes to read, saving hours of meeting time
  2. Model async behavior — Don’t send messages expecting immediate responses; use scheduled send for off-hours messages
  3. Create documentation templates — Decision documents, project kickoffs, and retrospectives all benefit from standardized formats
  4. Maintain 1:1s as synchronous — Regular face time with direct reports is one meeting worth keeping synchronous for relationship building

Common Pitfalls

  • Over-documenting trivial decisions wastes time and creates noise — focus documentation on decisions that affect multiple people
  • Async doesn’t mean slow — Set clear SLAs (e.g., 4-hour response for urgent, 24-hour for standard) so nothing falls through the cracks
  • Loneliness is real — Schedule optional social time (virtual coffee, game sessions) to maintain human connection without making it mandatory

For a deeper look at which companies hire async-first workers, or to understand the sync vs async communication tradeoffs, check our detailed guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do async teams handle urgent issues?

Async teams establish clear escalation paths for true emergencies. This typically includes an on-call rotation, dedicated urgent channels with notifications enabled, and defined criteria for what constitutes an emergency worthy of interrupting deep work. The key is distinguishing between 'feels urgent' and 'actually urgent'—most things can wait a few hours.

Does async work mean no meetings at all?

No. Even the most async-first companies hold some synchronous meetings—typically for team bonding, complex discussions, and occasional brainstorming. The difference is that meetings are the exception, not the default. GitLab, a fully async company, still holds some video calls but requires written agendas and documented outcomes for every meeting.

What skills do I need to succeed in async work?

Strong written communication is essential—you must convey tone, context, and nuance in text. Self-management and discipline matter since no one monitors your minute-to-minute activity. Proactive communication helps avoid blockers, and comfort with documentation ensures your knowledge benefits the whole team. Finally, patience is crucial; you cannot expect instant responses.

How do async teams maintain company culture?

Async teams build culture through intentional practices: virtual coffee chats, optional social channels, periodic in-person retreats, transparent decision-making, and celebrating wins publicly in writing. Culture becomes more about shared values and how decisions are made than about office banter. Many async workers report stronger cultures because expectations are explicit rather than assumed.

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