By hiring remote workers, you’ll never have to worry about geographical limitations again. There is a false perception that remote workers are lazy, taking every opportunity to slack off because nobody is watching. In fact, remote workers are generally more productive than their in-office counterparts. TimeandDate.com’s World Clock Meeting Planner won’t win any design awards, but it makes time shift scheduling straightforward. You pick the cities where everyone lives, and the date for your meeting, and it’ll show in green, yellow, and red the times that are best, not too bad, and terrible for everyone.

These meetings should be an efficient and good use of time, so if you feel they aren’t productive, try scheduling them further apart. Having a placeholder on the calendar for the team to get together will help ensure that everyone is staying on task and has a place to come together as a team and hold each other accountable. Set a regular agenda where people have the opportunities to share wins and shoutouts. It’s also an important place to bring up any obstacles to see if teammates have effective problem-solving ideas or solutions. You can use the time to update everyone on projects and timelines so everyone hears the same consistent messaging and is able to ask questions. If your company doesn’t currently offer any flexibility, you may find that it’s hard to attract talent as a larger portion of the workforce is made up of these younger generations.

How teams can best manage working across time zones

In today’s workplace, diversity breeds new and unique ideas, allows us to look at our campaigns from different points of view, and benefits companies financially. In fact, by 2022, Gartner predicts that 75% of businesses with diverse frontline decision-makers will exceed their financial targets. Using them is also an effective way to share meeting notes, create consensus and gather feedback. As a result of creating a wiki, you’ll be https://remotemode.net/blog/10-tips-on-working-in-different-time-zones/ able to create transparency and stimulate a continuous flow of ideas and feedback. Eastern Standard Time (EST) covers the states in the eastern part of North America and runs from Maine to Florida, while Central Standard Time (CST) includes Texas up to Montana. Mountain Standard Time (MST) spans Utah’s Rocky Mountains all the way over to Arizona, and Pacific Standard Time (PST) includes California and Nevada to Washington State.

Having a global team will give you the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge and cultural experiences. By working with people from all over the world, you can gain a broader perspective and insight that spark innovation in your workplace. That’s not all; the possibility to transcend boundaries also means that you have people working around the clock without the need for late-night shifts. Without holding real-time meetings, you may send fast messages, explain new methods, and clarify complex topics with your team. Everyone can look through these at their leisure, take notes, and return to your instructions or ask questions afterward. Trello, Basecamp, and Asana are project management tools that keep track of what everyone is working on as it progresses through the pipeline.

How to work across varying time zones

Here’s a sneak peek, but keep reading for tips on how to make the most of the pros and overcome the cons that crop up when the world is your office. We use a variety of tools at Buffer, many of which we’ve blogged about before. For synchronous, https://remotemode.net/ everyone-at-the-same-time communication, we use Slack for written chats and Zoom for video chats. In this one, you can type in specific places and time zones to get exact times for those who may not be in the major cities.

• Whenever possible, it’s important to develop the ability to communicate asynchronously when working remotely.
• The name “instant” suggest live synchronous communication, but asynchronous communication is still a big part of using instant messaging tools like Slack, MS Teams, and Flock.
• Just imagine a chatroom with all the features of texting and emailing available today and you’ll have Slack.
• It’s also an important place to bring up any obstacles to see if teammates have effective problem-solving ideas or solutions.
• PEOs are available to assist with every aspect of acquiring and managing a remote workforce.

Read on for 10+ strategies on making your communication inclusive and seamless. When considering candidates from different regions than where the company is based, SMB leaders must review how their taxes, payroll, compliance, recruiting, and benefits may be affected. Hosting an open virtual meeting meant to replicate an office breakroom can also be fruitful.

Time Management Tips When Working in Different Time Zones

These meetings not only improve the relationships between specific colleagues, but also contribute to maintaining team cohesion. 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. Additionally, you might also find it hard to say no to meetings — or suggest other times — for meetings scheduled outside of your regular working hours. When you have a successful game plan, you’re regularly able to video chat with colleagues, hear their thoughts, and gain insight into what the workplace is like on the other side of the world.

• “Let your team know you’re available over Slack (or whichever tool you use), and build in ‘air-time’ in your agenda for check-ins or quick chats.”
• Of course, for organizations working across time zones, this type of effort would involve coming up with creative ways to have everyone on board and involved in the conversation.
• “At TechCrunch and The Next Web, having a central point of contact is critical,” says Russell.
• Benefits and perks are important to millennials and Generation Z. Flexibility ranks at the top of the list of wants when job searching.
• These meetings should be an efficient and good use of time, so if you feel they aren’t productive, try scheduling them further apart.

“If you’re clear about why you can’t work every hour of the day across all timezones, teammates will understand that. Just make sure you propose alternatives,” says Nataly Kelly, HubSpot’s VP of Localization. However, many HubSpot marketers say that you should keep a dialogue going with your global counterparts to ensure that everyone’s boundaries are being respected and that there are equal odd-hour meetings for both teams. But, despite all the benefits of having a diverse global staff, companies are still trying to figure out how to work successfully across different timezones. However, it is well worth taking the time to have fun as well as talk about work. In order to create a cohesive team, it is important to demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences.

You can also try asking them what times they are available during, and when their day starts/ends so you know how much overlap there will be with yours. Asynchronous communication (“async”) is when information is sent at separate times with a delay in between. For example, writing an email, sending a Loom video, or leaving a voice message for someone so they can respond to it whenever works best with their schedule (and yours).