Blog

Working across time zones necessitates setting fair meeting times. You don’t want coworkers or employees getting up for a 5 a.m. Consider everyone’s time zone when setting meeting times and try rotating times if needed. If it’s not possible to make meeting times fair for everyone, your best bet could be to rotate the start time so that the same people aren’t inconvenienced every time.

• Without the need for overtime or late-night shifts, teams can collaborate to fulfill deadlines.
• It’s tough to keep the collaboration and team spirit high with one team leaving the virtual office just as another is starting their workday.
• This helps improve collaboration since everyone has to be on the same page.
• In fact, remote workers are generally more productive than their in-office counterparts.
• Founded in 2011, Help Scout has been a fully remote company from day 1 and is powering 12,000+ teams in 140+ countries.

Perhaps there is a way to stagger scheduling so that there is coverage for every department no matter what time zone you’re in. This will close any communication gaps or holes, and allow time differences to be less of a sore spot. Working with people in different time zones is not as simple as scheduling meetings at 9 am and 3 pm on both sides of the globe.

Looking for a remote job or to hire remote employees?

A common drawback to managing a team that operates across time zones is the lack of space for sharing insight about work progress. The already limited communication opportunities leave no room for staff to share what they’re working on, talk about ideas, or future plans. This can leave employees feeling their work is being overlooked, and potentially working remotely in a different time zone affect their career advancement as it doesn’t allow enough insight into their effort and contribution. 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.

For background, async communication happens when information is exchanged without the expectation of an immediate response. With a split schedule, you can be more available for meetings with colleagues in different time zones without ignoring your local team. Furthermore, you will be able to stay in touch with your international department without staying up all night. https://remotemode.net/ Whenever possible, it’s important to develop the ability to communicate asynchronously when working remotely. No matter where your whole team is located and what time zone or geography separates you, effective async communication allows you to stay connected effectively. For one, organizations should consider setting and respecting their team’s time zone boundaries.

Pro: It’s easier to value output over time-in-seat

Software engineer Kevin Furbish found this to be true about his remote team at Intuit. “Many of us tend to work crazy hours, which mitigates being in different time zones.” Remember that when your clients or colleagues end for the day, you’ll essentially be communicating asynchronously. To do this effectively across time zones, you must be in tune with their current time and their schedules. 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.

Below we will take a closer look at the pros and cons of working across time zones and possible ways a company can mitigate the limitations that come with this kind of organizational structure. When you work from the same office, there’s no need to wait for a conference call or meeting to start communicating. However, connecting with a distributed team requires more effort. Without holding real-time meetings, you may send fast messages, explain new methods, and clarify complex topics with your team.

The pros and cons of working across time zones: What to expect when you work in a distributed company

Similarly, meetings can be difficult to schedule, inconveniencing those who need to attend, especially early or late in the day. People working on dispersed teams can also feel isolated from one another, leading to a lack of connection, and even become less visible—especially if they are the sole team member in their time zone. The best way to be mindful of different time zones is to disregard time entirely and rely on asynchronous communication. By setting a clear expectation that communication won’t happen in real-time, you can take the pressure of people in different time zones to be “on-call”.

Team members will be aware of their responsibilities, effortlessly pick up duties, and leave comments/updates for their teammates to address throughout their shifts. As a writer, Jose’s goal is to share advice on self-improvement and upskilling. He helps readers understand the real-life applications of various systems, plus how these support career advancement. He has written thousands of articles on tech, freelance tools, career advancement, business, AI, and finance since 2017.