Working Across Multiple Time Zones: Tools and Strategies

Let’s outline all the key steps companies can take to better manage working across time zones within the asynchronous collaboration framework. Although it can get challenging at times to manage a geographically dispersed team, there are still many more benefits to the approach. And this is particularly why we’re seeing a consistent increase in the number of companies employing globally. Let’s break down all the benefits of working across time zones to get a better understanding of the trend. Let’s get a closer look at what working across time zones entails and how you can adopt better strategies to accommodate the demands of a globally distributed team.

While it may be the middle of the day for one worker, it may be midnight for another, and frequently sending work messages at an inconvenient hour can result in burnout and stress. Likewise, employees should inform their manager and teammates about the best way to reach them outside of working hours if an emergency arises. Managers and decision-makers are the ones facing the harshest challenges when working with teams who operate across time zones.

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For an even simpler way to see what time it is around the world, check out Every Time Zone. It shows the current time in your own city, along with others in popular time zones around the world. No matter how independently you can work, and how hard you try to stay connected, you won’t be in the flow of what everyone’s doing unless you have a team chat tool.

Everyone should be invited to voluntarily join the meeting room at a time that works for them. This sort of impromptu, off-the-cuff discussion can resemble “watercooler chat” and enables colleagues to brainstorm various topics and connect on a more personal level. Managers of dispersed teams should make a conscious effort to check in regularly and connect with individual team members as well as the group as a whole. These meetings not only improve the relationships between specific colleagues, but also contribute to maintaining team cohesion. A lot of people work from home – 59% of U.S. workers who say their jobs can be performed from home do so all or most of the time – and that comes with many benefits for employers and employees alike. At Zapier, we’ve formalized communications about what we’re working on with a Friday update post that lists our top priority for the week and what progress we made on it.

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The following tips will help your company work more efficiently across time zones. Use this article as your guide to overcome these challenges and you’ll be well on your https://remotemode.net/ way to building strong relationships across time zones. Asynchronous communication (“async”) is when information is sent at separate times with a delay in between.

Google Calendar looks basic at first glance, but it’s packed with features that make it great for remote teams—or really any team. You can set your own time zone, and save the time zones you work with most to have an easy way to switch between them. Working across time zones brings unique challenges rarely encountered within the more traditional work models. As the rewards largely outweigh the drawbacks, it’s worth exploring the best team practices provided above to make working across time zones work. They will help you craft your perfect blend of flexibility, asynchronous work, and inclusive mindset to push your distributed team towards perpetual success.

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So, what is the difference between global teams that succeed, and those that don’t? How does one make sure to reap all the benefits and suffer no drawbacks of working across time zones? We’re breaking down the seven tested and tried steps geographically dispersed working remotely in a different time zone teams can implement to strengthen formal and informal communication and build more trust and better collaboration across all teams. A common drawback to managing a team that operates across time zones is the lack of space for sharing insight about work progress.

• Or maybe you’re fully distributed, with teammates on every continent around the world.
• A great way to introduce a more async, documentation culture is to build an employee handbook.
• If the issue is complex or there are dependencies involved, you might find yourself drafting a paragraph (or two) and editing your message for clarity and tone that can get lost in translation.
• If you are providing information, invest the additional time upfront to answer any questions or solve any issues you think the person may have ahead of time.
• You’ll be amazed by how much can be replaced by a written memo or message.

When we work with people from across the globe, we often have to work at unusual times. We have to work odd hours if we want to interact with our colleagues on the other side of the world. Working during one chunk of the day caters to your timezone, followed by another shift that caters to another team’s timezone, is often called a split shift. As a hardworking employee located farther away from your company’s office, you might find feel pressure to say yes to every meeting you’re invited to.