Async meetings aren’t the usual meetings we're used to. They replace real-time calls with updates like recorded video messages, documentation, and discussion threads. Whether it's a daily standup, weekly sync, or any meeting you're considering moving async, everyone engages on their own schedule, bringing flexibility and thoughtfulness back to teamwork.
But do async meetings genuinely boost productivity? How can your team successfully adopt them?
In this article, we'll make a case for async meetings and share examples from companies like GitLab, Zapier, and Basecamp who work this way.
How Async Meetings Can Improve Your Team's Productivity and Morale
Now imagine a different scenario: a workplace where team members engage with information at their own pace. Instead of real-time interruptions, you provide updates through clearly written documents, video recordings, Rally sessions or chat threads.
The benefits quickly become clear:
- Flexibility and Autonomy: Team members regain control over their schedules, prioritizing deep work and productivity.
- Better Documentation and Clarity: Async communication naturally creates robust documentation—conversations, decisions, and action items become traceable and transparent.
- Inclusive Collaboration: Async meetings enable more thoughtful responses and engagement, giving every team member equal opportunity to contribute, regardless of personality or time zone.
Companies like GitLab and Zapier have proven that adopting async-first cultures improves productivity, higher employee satisfaction, and greater retention of talent. For them, async isn't just about fewer meetings—it's about a healthier, more effective way to work.
How Leading Remote Companies Like GitLab, Zapier, and Basecamp Run Async Meetings
How GitLab Uses Async Meetings to Boost Remote Team Productivity
GitLab, a fully remote company with a global team, has ingrained asynchronous communication into its culture. This approach allows team members across various time zones to collaborate effectively without the need for real-time meetings.
Key Practices:
- Handbook-First Approach: All processes, decisions, and guidelines are meticulously documented in a centralized handbook. This ensures that team members have access to up-to-date information without needing synchronous clarification.
- Live Editable Agendas: Before any meeting, GitLab requires a shared agenda document. If the agenda remains empty 30 minutes prior, the meeting is canceled, indicating no pressing topics. This practice encourages preparation and ensures meetings are purposeful. You can use Rally to do this. You can convert your Jira work items into agendas for both live and async meetings. That way, meetings are focused and aligned with tasks.
- Optional Participation: Meetings are open to many, but attendance is optional. This inclusivity allows interested individuals to join without mandating presence, respecting personal schedules and workloads.
- Decision-Making Process: GitLab empowers individuals closest to the issue to make informed decisions asynchronously. This decentralized approach enhances productivity and supports an inclusive working environment.
- Time-Zone Management: To accommodate global team members, GitLab schedules meetings at varying times, ensuring inclusivity across different time zones. This practice prevents the exclusion of any region and promotes equitable participation.
Lessons for Your Team:
- Document Everything: Maintain a centralized repository for processes and decisions. This reduces the need for synchronous clarification and empowers team members to find information independently.
- Set Clear Agendas: Ensure every meeting has a predefined agenda. If there's nothing to discuss, consider canceling the meeting to respect everyone's time.
- Empower Decentralized Decision-Making: Encourage team members closest to a topic to make decisions, fostering ownership and efficiency.
- Rotate Meeting Times: Schedule meetings at different times to accommodate various time zones, ensuring all team members have the opportunity to participate.
Zapier: Prioritizing Asynchronous Collaboration
Zapier operates with a remote team spread across various time zones, making async communication essential. They emphasize collaborating asynchronously before resorting to meetings, ensuring that real-time interactions are reserved for topics that truly require them.
Key Practices:
- Video Updates: Instead of scheduling meetings for updates, team members record short videos demonstrating their work or explaining concepts. This approach allows others to view and respond at their convenience, fostering flexibility.
- Automated Standups: Zapier utilizes tools like Asana and Slack, integrated through Zapier's own platform, to automate daily standups. This enables team members to share updates without coordinating schedules, maintaining transparency while preserving deep work periods.
- Accountability Framework: Zapier relies on tools like Confluence and Asana for project tracking, ensuring transparency and fostering peer accountability. Regular updates keep teams aligned and informed.
- Handling Urgent Issues: For urgent matters, Zapier establishes separate channels to prevent blockers from stalling work. This ensures that critical issues are addressed promptly without disrupting ongoing tasks.
Lessons for Your Team:
- Leverage Multimedia: Encourage the use of video or audio recordings for updates or explanations. This adds a personal touch and can convey nuances better than text.
- Automate Routine Communications: Implement tools that facilitate regular updates without the need to manually trigger it, reducing the need for synchronous check-ins.
- Establish Clear Accountability: Use project tracking tools to maintain transparency and ensure team members are aware of their responsibilities and deadlines.
- Create Channels for Urgent Issues: Designate specific communication channels for urgent matters to ensure they are addressed promptly without disrupting other workflows.
How Basecamp Runs Effective Async Meetings
Basecamp is well-known for its project management tools, but the real magic behind their success is their commitment to asynchronous communication. Instead of constant real-time meetings, Basecamp favors clearly documented, written conversations. Here’s exactly how they do it:
Basecamp’s Strategies for Async Meetings
- Write Clearly, Communicate Once: Basecamp team members write detailed updates and explanations directly into their communication threads, clearly documenting decisions and discussions. This reduces follow-up questions and cuts down unnecessary meetings.
- Favor Async Communication: Conversations happen primarily through asynchronous message boards within Basecamp itself, letting team members read, reflect, and respond on their own schedules. This minimizes interruptions, allowing the team to stay focused on deep, productive work.
- Limit Real-Time Chats: Basecamp discourages over-reliance on live chats. They argue that constant real-time messaging creates unnecessary urgency and stress. Instead, they reserve real-time chats only for urgent or genuinely collaborative conversations that require immediate attention.
Lessons for Your Team
- Document Everything Clearly
Encourage your team to write down their thoughts, decisions, and discussions in detail. Clear documentation prevents confusion and eliminates unnecessary follow-up meetings. - Make Async Your Default
Prioritize asynchronous conversations whenever possible. It respects everyone’s time and allows team members to engage thoughtfully. - Use Real-Time Communication Selectively
Real-time tools (like Slack) can be useful but should be used sparingly. Reserve synchronous communication for truly urgent issues or brainstorming sessions where immediate interaction adds value.
Your Blueprint for Running Effective Async Meetings
Learning from GitLab, Zapier, and Basecamp makes one thing clear: effective async meetings aren't just about tools—they're about thoughtful processes and intentional culture. Here's a practical blueprint distilled from their strategies that you can follow:
1. Document Clearly and Consistently
- Create a Single Source of Truth:
Like GitLab's handbook or Basecamp's detailed threads, keep a centralized, accessible record of all discussions, decisions, and policies. This practice reduces repeated questions, boosts transparency, and cuts down the need for real-time clarification. - Communicate Clearly, Once:
Encourage detailed and thoughtful writing. Clearly documented decisions lead to fewer meetings, fewer misunderstandings, and better-aligned teams.
2. Prepare Actionable Agendas (Automate When Possible)
- Automate Agenda Creation:
Consider using tools like Rally, where you can convert Jira work items directly into structured meeting agendas. This practice aligns discussions with actual tasks, ensures productivity, and provides clear accountability. - Cancel Unnecessary Meetings:
Adopt GitLab's approach—if your agenda is empty shortly before the meeting, it's a strong sign the meeting is unnecessary and can be canceled. This respects everyone's time and reinforces meaningful engagement.
3. Prioritize Async First, Real-Time Second
- Default to Async:
Like Zapier and Basecamp, default your team's communication to asynchronous channels. Use recorded video updates or written documentation whenever possible. - Limit Real-Time Chats:
Reserve real-time communication for truly urgent issues or scenarios where immediate interaction significantly adds value. This helps prevent burnout and preserves deep, productive work.
4. Automate Routine Communication
- Leverage Automation Tools:
Take inspiration from Zapier by automating standups, daily updates, or routine check-ins using integrations between Slack, Asana, or Jira. Automation reduces overhead and keeps everyone informed without disrupting focused work.
5. Foster Inclusivity and Flexibility
- Make Meetings Optional:
Follow GitLab’s inclusive policy—make attendance optional whenever practical. Provide recordings or documentation afterward to accommodate different schedules, time zones, or personal working styles. - Rotate Meeting Times:
Schedule necessary synchronous meetings at rotating times to ensure fair participation from global team members.
6. Build a Culture of Trust and Autonomy
- Empower Decision-Making:
Enable those closest to the problem or task to make decisions asynchronously, as GitLab does. Trust your team’s judgment and expertise. - Respect Response Times:
Set reasonable expectations for response times in async communication. This clarity ensures smooth collaboration without compromising individual flexibility.
7. Regularly Evaluate and Adjust
- Track Your Success:
Assess the effectiveness of your async practices by tracking metrics such as employee satisfaction, productivity, and frequency of synchronous meetings. - Iterate Based on Feedback:
Ask your team for feedback often. Async isn't set-and-forget; it’s a continuous improvement cycle tailored to your team's unique needs.
By applying these practices, you can create an effective, inclusive, and productive asynchronous culture just like GitLab, Zapier, and Basecamp have successfully done. Rally makes this even easier by allowing you to convert Jira tasks into meeting agendas and providing a dedicated space for async discussions. With the right approach, your team can stay connected, productive, and engaged on their own time.
