Working Remotely When Everyone is in a Different Timezone

Similarly, working across time zones is beneficial to companies on a larger, operational level. Having distributed teams working across time zones essentially implies round-the-clock workflow. Companies employing diverse teams spanning multiple time zones enjoy complete time zone coverage. Having all shifts and time zones covered is especially convenient for support and customer service as people don’t need to work past the conventional work hours in their countries, in the case of an emergency.

• Do you want to improve your message writing skills when your team is working across time zones?
• To allow more space for effective communication to happen, companies working across time zones need to rethink traditional channels of communication, such as email, and adopt more flexible solutions and methods.
• Employees who do not establish clear work boundaries risk burning out, which negatively impacts the entire team’s productivity, creativity, and collaboration.
• Take time to grab virtual coffees with your teammates one-on-one or in small groups, and schedule online game nights for the entire team.

You’ll learn about the key responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for an AWS developer role, including hard skills and soft skills. One of the best things about Help Scout is that they publish how they work and their post on how to build a globally remote team that really works is a great example. It’s crucial https://remotemode.net/ that you adopt a remote-first mindset, document decisions clearly and concisely for people who are unable to attend, and record the meeting. Ideally, you’ll write a memo before each meeting to help attendees know what to expect and how to prepare. You’ll be surprised how many meetings aren’t needed if you do this.

Unintended Consequences of Ineffective Communication

Whether they have to get up early or stay at work late or even get up in the middle of the night, someone will suffer. Along with trust, the compass for guiding remote work culture will be the mutual goals of the teams and company. Company goals should be referenced in a shared mission statement, an accessible company or team handbook, and a yearly roadmap. These agreed-upon goals remind team members they are contributing with others for an outcome and group purpose that benefits everyone together, even when separated. Developing a shared vision allows for a stronger foundation and creates a more positive work atmosphere, both of which are essential for success. Relationships foster trust, increase collaboration and boost productivity in any work environment.

Even still, odds are you’ll be working with someone who’s not online at the same time as you. Every employee is also assigned a random “pair partner” each week— that means we’ll jump on a call with one of our colleagues just see how things are going, and perhaps work together on a cross-team project. Neither is Silicon Valley or the city where your company is based. Some of us do our best work late at night, while others prefer to get up early and spend the late afternoons away from the desk. And while some metropolitan areas offer certain lifestyle perks, other big-city issues—like high costs-of-living—will drive potential employees away. With our platform of pre-configured talent acquisition and talent management solutions, maximize the potential of your company’s greatest asset—your people.

UTC Time

We’re constantly sharing what’s going on with our lives and schedules, whether we’re popping out to grab some tacos at lunch or spending the next 4 months in Costa Rica. Abi is one of the co-founders of Himalayas where he focuses on product and growth. In his spare time, he runs a YouTube channel, podcast, and blog focused on strategy and management. Many Heads of Remote will spend time in both worlds, improving the internal experience while advocating for remote-first beyond the organization. Start by culling synchronous communication like daily stand-ups and instead move toward written status updates. You’ll be amazed by how much can be replaced by a written memo or message.

• People communicate differently when in a group setting like a video conference and it can improve the overall team dynamics.
• It’s important to completely prepare for meetings, especially when people are dialing in and joining the video conference from all over the world.
• That’s why the most crucial part of building a remote team is hiring self-directed workers—”managers of one,” as the Basecamp team calls them in their book Rework.
• To work effectively with a time shift, you’ll also need to work in public.

That might not be enough to schedule meetings across a number of time zones, but it’s a quick way to figure out if you’re ok to call your boss at 6 p.m. It might work out great for you, if you like to work nontraditional hours anyway. 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.” “Any remote worker knows you have to be flexible, so I feel time zone differences don’t impact your remote work life too much,” says Zapier’s Smith.

Synch vs. Async: How to Have More Productive (And More Pleasant) Communication

Everyone will have everything they need to get up and running as soon as they sign in for the day, regardless of what time it is. Tasks can be assigned, materials (such as spreadsheets, mockups, and slides) can be added, and deadlines can be defined. Team members will be aware of their responsibilities, effortlessly pick up duties, and leave comments/updates for their teammates to address throughout their shifts. The security features are also highly rated with Cisco and WebEx, so you can make sure everything is encrypted and that you won’t have unwelcome guests. WebEx does offer an option to remove attendees if that’s necessary.

This ensures that no single team is forced to make constant sacrifices to stay linked. It may also cause everyone to plan a meeting across time zones when they’re the ones working unusual hours. By the time they read your second message and take action, an entire day (or more!) could have passed without them doing anything. This isn’t how high-performing remote teams working across time zones collaborate. After all, having employees working across time zones is the equivalent of offering your organization a 24-hour workplace — with the top talent on the planet.