As remote work becomes more popular, a debate is growing regarding how employees communicate with one another. The more traditional viewpoint is that in-person, face-to-face communication is always preferable and that digital analogs of this type of communication like video calls and virtual meeting rooms are the best approach to remote work. The flip side of that, however, are packed calendars where real “work” is only done in the margins between back-to-back meetings. This can lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately turnover. To avoid this, many organizations are normalizing asynchronous communication where immediate response is not expected, and productivity occurs when it’s convenient for each team member. While it might seem like this would slow down productivity, research shows the opposite is true. When calendars are clear and days aren’t peppered with meetings, employees are better able to focus and participate in deep work. Obviously, there are times where synchronous communication is preferable, but the organizations that are using both models where appropriate are seeing success.