Most companies could 10x the benefits of remote work for their employees if they implemented async work too.
When a team works asynchronously, no assumptions are made on the team's availability. You know your teammates work in timezone X for Y hours per day, but no one is expected to be at their desk between 9 am and 5 pm. The default is long-form, written communication; there are fewer meetings and calls, usually scheduled well in advance.
Async work is the work that’s most compatible with life — it's life-first work.
You see the sun shining and take a walk outside. You workout when it most fits you, not at the end of the day when you are swamped. You wake up at an unusual time, start early, and take the afternoon off. You are there for your loved ones when they need you. Without anxiety, stigma, or guilt.
Async work is freedom from the traditional 9-to-5, without having to quit your 9-to-5. Once you try it, it's pretty hard to go back to working for a company that doesn’t implement it. You'd feel chained to your desk.
You may end up working slightly less, but your baseline happiness and satisfaction with your life will be so increased that your productivity will likely soar.
And even if not, isn’t a slight decrease in productivity worth a much bigger increase in your overall happiness?