Asynchronous work is a model that allows workers not to follow a fixed schedule, but to organize their time in the way they deem convenient, meeting the objectives set by their employer.
Working whenever you want and from wherever you want seems like a lot to ask, but for Matt Mullenwegfounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Automaticthe company behind WordPress, is a reality that has worked perfectly in his case.
Matt Mullenweg He is a faithful defender of “asynchronous work”, that is, work that is not based on meeting fixed office hours, but is more focused on goals, allowing both companies and workers to have more time available to them. Flexible and according to your personal needs.
Flexibility of location and hours
Although during 2020 and much of 2021, many companies adopted remote work and made their schedules more flexible as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, for Automattic this has always been the case.
As the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) notes, since the firm was founded in 2005, flexibility has been the norm. “Automattic pioneered so-called asynchronous work, which offers workers not only flexibility in their location, but also in their schedules”explains WSJ.
And it is not an SME. Automattic has 1,876 employees in 97 countries who work under this model, which allows for a better reconciliation of work and personal life. From the company they assure that this favors productivity and the retention of talents.
But this system is not the telecommuting that many know, but also involves logistics for efficient communication with fewer meetings and discussions in real time.
In fact, this firm relies heavily on written communication, including internal company blogs that update employees on everything that’s going on.
Matt Mullenweg doesn’t believe in the hybrid model
In conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Matt Mullenweg said that inevitably over time many companies will decide on the asynchronous work model.
“Too often, we say, ‘You have a responsibility to be at your desk at this time of day.’ Who cares? Your client is not buying how many hours a day people are at his desk. People don’t want a drill, they want a hole in the wall. The old work model was wasting people’s time,” he said.
“Also, when you’re remote, but not asynchronous, it gets really awkward, especially between time zones. Are you asking everyone on the west coast (of the United States) to start their day at 6 am and then finish at 2 or 3 pm so everyone can be working at the same time? And even two people who live in the same city can have very different time constraints, whether it’s caring for children or an elderly person,” he explains.
Regarding the hybrid model that many companies have adopted post-pandemic, the CEO of Automattic believes that it “will naturally die out.”
“Many companies are paying for office space and just want to make good use of it. That’s like stuffing yourself at the buffet just because you already paid for it.”he explained.
“Work is about collaboration, not everyone sitting at a desk with headphones on, looking at a screen. I think we’ll look back at that way of doing business, like, ‘Why did we do that?’ ‘Why do we force them all to be in the same building?’ In our experience, the ability to find and retain incredible talent has outweighed the cost of not being together every day,” he stated.
“Asynchronous work is the future”
When asked why he thinks asynchronous work is the future, Mullenweg indicated that “opens up talent that you may have been excluding before, including local talent, that may not have been available when your previous idea of a day job was not inclusive”.
In addition, the CEO indicated that “it allows people to structure their days to be more productive. Right now, with traditional offices, we force everyone to work with the lowest common denominator. Everything, the workspace, the environment, the schedule, it’s kind of a compromise, compared to when people can design their own work time, their own work environment, and they can adapt it to what they know about themselves to do your personal best work.”
“Work is not just about efficiency. I think we should strive to be more efficient because it is respectful of people’s time, but let’s not forget that we are also human, ”she states.
“The old work model was wasting people’s time,” says Mullenweg.
As for whether this system can lead to little bonding between workers and employers, Mullenweg says that when it is done well, it is quite the opposite.
“The most successful companies have much, much lower labor turnover than others. Our rate of voluntary abandonment (resignation) was 7.6% during the last year”he indicated.
The challenges of asynchronous work
But not all are advantages, Mullenweg explains that the main challenge is to be able to communicate well in writing, to be clear.
“If you don’t have that, you can make people think they’re on the same page when they’re actually understanding differently. We have been experimenting with classes and workshops and of course books that we recommend for people to improve their writing skills. We also have an editorial team that does our publishing, but also does a lot of in-house editing. It’s incredibly important in an asynchronous organization to invest in your writing.”
He also explains that every strength is also a disadvantage. For example, a strong point of asynchronous work is that you can work at any time, but at the same time it is a disadvantage, because “it could take 24 hours to get five people to read and respond to something that they could do in a 30-minute synchronous meeting ”.
And what about in-person interaction?
Mullenweg says he loves seeing his colleagues in person. “I really enjoy it,” he says. But you don’t need to see them all the time.
“Meetings are a key part of Automattic’s culture. But we have found that even a week a year of meeting in person maintains and enhances trust and connection with colleagues,” he explained.
Automattic’s CEO says that many are afraid to adopt the model because they won’t be able to know if people are really working, but he recommends changing the focus.
“I think what people mean when they say that is, how do you know you’re at your desk at certain times? When really, what’s more important is, how do I know they’re achieving their goals and mine for the business? You need great clarity about what your workers are expected to accomplish, and you’re probably humbled and surprised by how they accomplish it, in ways you couldn’t imagine,” he said.