Harmonizing Dispersed Workforces Through Sequential Practices
In the new normal of remote work, fostering a sense of belonging and boosting morale has become more important than ever. According to research from Harvard Business School, work rituals can play a crucial role in achieving this.
One company leading the way in this area is UniOne, a global organisation operating across four continents and more than 10 time zones. UniOne's cofounder & CTO, Alexey Kachalov, has been instrumental in shaping the company's culture of effective asynchronous collaboration.
Remote work, once a niche perk, has become a necessity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, remote-first teams, particularly in startups aiming for global scale, are now common. To thrive in such an environment, asynchronous communication has become crucial.
Effective asynchronous rituals are short, repeatable practices that create predictable connection, visible progress, and shared context without requiring everyone to be online at the same time. They help rebuild the "ambient culture" lost in remote work by making social and work signals explicit and discoverable across time zones.
Good async rituals increase psychological safety, visibility, and alignment by encouraging regular updates, celebration, and documented decision-making. They can help replace ad-hoc DMs with a more structured approach, preserving cadence without meetings.
Practical asynchronous rituals include daily or start-of-day async check-ins, weekly async status roundups, centralised documentation, a recognition and milestones wall, asynchronous "office hours" and recorded demos, onboarding rituals with assigned buddy and checklist, and regular async retrospectives.
To ensure these rituals stick, they should be brief, structured, and predictable, tied to a clear purpose, and utilise the right tools and channels. Encouraging norms for visibility, balancing async with occasional synchronous rituals, and creating a company-wide calendar block can also help.
Implementing a few core rituals, such as a morning check-in, weekly roundup, and recognition channel, can make a significant difference in how remote teams feel connected, engaged, and perform at their best. By focusing on clarity, connection, and trust, remote-first teams can thrive in today's work environment.
Alexey Kachalov, cofounder & CTO of UniOne, has leveraged technology to foster effective asynchronous collaboration among his global team, integrating practices such as daily check-ins, centralised documentation, and recorded demos.
These technology-driven rituals, adopted by UniOne, play a pivotal role in enhancing remote team connections, engagement, and overall productivity, enabling the organization to thrive in the new normal of remote work.
