Best team practices when working across time zones

This means people who were offline can dive into documentation to catch up, rather than having to wait for answers. Between different time zones, dentist appointments, and vacations, people within your team will need to play catch up using your instant messaging platform every day, making it an important tool to use wisely. Having a remote first work culture means you have access to a wider pool of talent and skillsets. This means that the company is in https://remotemode.net/ a better position to acquire a diverse workforce that is tailor-made for the organization and also has employees with vast experience. It becomes easier to manage when course correction is required, and when team members go above and above to reinforce the culture, exemplifying those acts to the rest of the team becomes easier than ever. When you work with a team working across different time zones, there is a possibility that you may face some issues.

working across time zones

β€œThere may also be questions that are sent in a private channel that could receive a faster response in a public thread,” Hoffbauer said. Rike has found the biggest challenge of team members working from different time zones is getting everyone on a company meeting at the same time. β€œIt usually isn’t necessary, but definitely helps to build morale and keep spirits high when we can put faces to names and not feel so lonely in our remote settings,” Rike said.

Productivity boost

Understandably, this approach largely supports innovation and ultimately leads to more profit in the long run. In fact, one prediction by Gartner shows that  75% of companies employing diverse decision-making teams can expect to outperform their business objectives in 2022. Moreover, one McKinsey study found that the more ethnically and racially diverse companies outperform their less diverse peers by 36% when it comes to financial targets.

  • Teams employing a globally distributed workforce should pay special attention to learning and optimizing for different cultural specifics.
  • A broad team that spans multiple time zones also spans a variety of regions that often have distinctive cultures, points out Erhard.
  • It’s not only employees who can potentially benefit from working across time zonesβ€”this arrangement also allows distributed groups to be more responsive and available when customers need help.
  • Tasks can be assigned, materials (such as spreadsheets, mockups, and slides) can be added, and deadlines can be defined.
  • These moments will strengthen your team’s bond, making working remotely more productive.
  • Teams can use Slack for better communication, which will also assist you overcome the disadvantages of a remote working team.

Developing a shared vision allows for a stronger foundation and creates a more positive work atmosphere, both of which are essential for success. Meeting in person allows your team to bond – essential for future communication. With team members in different time zones, it can be easy for people to restrict https://remotemode.net/blog/10-tips-on-working-in-different-time-zones/ communication to those online at the same time. By bringing everyone together, you open up communication between people who might not usually interact. Applications like Trello are commonly used to manage team projects, but there are other products on the market that might be better suited to your team.

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Cultural values have a significant impact on hiring approach, attracting individuals who share similar beliefs and rejecting those who do not. Not everyone will be pleased with our principles, and that is just fine. One of the reasons a remote company like Turing’s culture is robust and our team members are so united is due to the clear nature of our principles. These moments will strengthen your team’s bond, making working remotely more productive.

In 2022, the Mexican congress also voted to abolish summer time in most of the country, though large Mexican cities near the U.S. border and a few other places are exempted. And that gives a visual overview of all the time zones in the world at the same time. My fourth tip comes from the creating a team agreement process that I take people through.

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Working in a global team spread across time zones means embracing a remote-first, not a remote-friendly, culture. You can’t just be aware of time zones, you need to construct a company where time zones are at the core of every internal operation. While operating with time zone differences has its benefits, it’s also challenging. Particularly if you don’t introduce new processes to manage a truly global team. Maybe you’re headquartered in Sydney but work with contractors around the globe. Or maybe you’re fully distributed, with teammates on every continent around the world.

working across time zones

Even though I double-check and I’m constantly aware of it and I’m supposedly a pro, even I get time zones wrong every once in a while. That’s a very simple time zone check that you can do with yourself in just one other time. The next one is worldtimebuddy.com, and that is for scheduling meetings with people in different time zones. Certain etiquette should also be followed in terms of communication while working across time zones. Unless there’s an urgent situation, employees should avoid contacting colleagues when they’re outside of their working hours.

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