How to Work Productively With a Remote Team Across Multiple Time Zones

The logistics of working out the perfect meeting schedule that aligns with your team’s work hours can often be outright impossible. ???? To learn more about the pros and cons of asynchronous communication for remote teams, be sure to check out our in-depth guide on the blog. Cloud-based technology allowed a number of industries to adopt some form of remote work model. Naturally, organizations jumped at the opportunity to select from a global pool of talent which is, essentially, the key factor that led to the formation of teams that span across different time zones.

“For us to speak at the same time, someone would have to be miserable.” You’re off-duty, but one of your team members in another country just messaged you with a question. Getting pinged after hours—and feeling the uncertainty of whether you should respond now or wait until your own working hours—is a situation that Michael Filippo, Head of International Sales at Revelo, commonly faces. Erhard added that having an international team broadens the candidates who could potentially join your company, which translates to an overall stronger and more skilled team. The best way to work remotely is by trying to replicate most of the things you’d do in an office job. For example, you should always reserve a place separate from your bedroom, try to maintain a routine, take breaks, etc.

Common mistakes to avoid when working with a dispersed team

This is the perfect option if you want to do training or just share recorded messages with larger groups. Slack is a great asynchronous communication tool used by many companies of all sizes. You can set up a collection of channels for different groups of people and topics of conversation. Settings include public and private channels so you can have some fun open group conversations and more project-specific channels. The key to successfully https://remotemode.net/ is good communication and setting clear expectations is the first step. Once companies open the options for flexible work locations, it’s important to set clear expectations.

The threat of a diminished company culture is real, and many remote workers fear they’ll be left out or overlooked for professional opportunities. But there are ways SMB leaders can strengthen their remote culture and keep everyone happy. Remote work can feel isolating – according to Buffer’s State of Remote Work 2021 report, 16% of remote workers say loneliness is their biggest workplace struggle. Routinely chatting https://remotemode.net/blog/10-tips-on-working-in-different-time-zones/ (with the camera on) can help managers maintain awareness of their team’s mental health and workload. For example, if a manager detects an employee’s tone and body language have shifted negatively, they can politely and privately ask if the worker is okay and if there’s anything they can do to help. During onboarding, managers should confirm new hires’ working hours and understand exactly when they’ll be available.

Decide on a fair time for meetings.

Splitting your hourly schedule around your team’s timezones allows you to be more available for meetings or quick communication with your international colleagues without ignoring the colleagues in your office. It will also ensure that you’re available to your international department without needing to stay up all hours of the day. When your global teammates feel like their schedule is respected, they might feel happier at their job, less stressed, or have an easier time tuning out of work communication outside of their main work hours. Ultimately, these things will help boost job retention, productivity, and your team’s overall performance.

To prevent this common hurdle of working across time zones, organizations can set an official time zone for all team members to reference when scheduling meetings or setting deadlines. With a uniform time zone in place, employees can easily figure out the time difference for their location and plan accordingly. Research shows that organizations spend around 15% of their time on meetings. We can only imagine what these numbers mean for distributed teams that need to put extra effort into planning a perfect schedule that won’t disturb the regular work and sleep schedules of the people involved.