diff --git a/srsue/src/phy/phy.cc b/srsue/src/phy/phy.cc
index 7bbad25dd..60552f613 100644
--- a/srsue/src/phy/phy.cc
+++ b/srsue/src/phy/phy.cc
@@ -409,8 +409,11 @@ void phy::set_rar_grant(uint8_t grant_payload[SRSLTE_RAR_GRANT_LEN], uint16_t rn
 
 void phy::set_crnti(uint16_t rnti)
 {
+  // set_crnti() is an operation that takes time, apply asynrhonously with processing
   for (uint32_t i = 0; i < nof_workers; i++) {
-    workers[i]->set_crnti(rnti);
+    sf_worker* w = (sf_worker*)workers_pool.wait_worker_id(i);
+    w->set_crnti(rnti);
+    w->release();
   }
 }
 
@@ -439,8 +442,12 @@ void phy::set_config(srslte::phy_cfg_t& config_, uint32_t cc_idx, uint32_t earfc
     // Send configuration to workers
     for (uint32_t i = 0; i < nof_workers; i++) {
       if (cell_info) {
-        workers[i]->set_cell(cc_idx, *cell_info);
+        // set_cell() is an operation that takes time, apply asynrhonously with processing
+        sf_worker* w = (sf_worker*)workers_pool.wait_worker_id(i);
+        w->set_cell(cc_idx, *cell_info);
+        w->release();
       }
+      // set_config() is just a memcpy
       workers[i]->set_config(cc_idx, config_);
     }
 
diff --git a/srsue/src/phy/sync.cc b/srsue/src/phy/sync.cc
index 95a02dae7..6073b6f82 100644
--- a/srsue/src/phy/sync.cc
+++ b/srsue/src/phy/sync.cc
@@ -765,11 +765,15 @@ bool sync::set_cell()
   sfn_p.set_cell(cell);
   worker_com->set_cell(cell);
 
+  bool success = true;
   for (uint32_t i = 0; i < workers_pool->get_nof_workers(); i++) {
-    if (!((sf_worker*)workers_pool->get_worker(i))->set_cell(0, cell)) {
-      Error("SYNC:  Setting cell: initiating PHCH worker\n");
-      return false;
-    }
+    sf_worker* w = (sf_worker*)workers_pool->wait_worker_id(i);
+    success &= w->set_cell(0, cell);
+    w->release();
+  }
+  if (!success) {
+    Error("SYNC:  Setting cell: initiating PHCH worker\n");
+    return false;
   }
 
   // Set options defined in expert section