10 Best Practices for Working Across Multiple Time Zones

These chats are normally only 2-3 people maximum, so more often than not it’s possible to find a time that works for everyone across multiple time zones. It’s a good practice to schedule the meetings only for the exchange of information that can’t be communicated over a team chat app, a document, an email, or a memo. Sure, a team brainstorming session is most effective over a video conference, however, a general weekly update doesn’t necessarily require a 5 a.m. The logistics of working out the perfect meeting schedule that aligns with your team’s work hours can often be outright impossible.

Cloud computing enabled various businesses to embrace some type of remote work paradigm. Naturally, corporations leaped at the chance to choose from a worldwide pool of talent, which is essentially the driving cause behind the establishment of teams that span many time zones. Fortunately, that flexibility can be easily accomplished through collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox, etc. Determine which meetings are work-related and mandatory and which are more cultural or social.

Best Practices for Working Across Time Zones

Even with a smaller difference, the morning and late afternoon meetings can be really challenging for some, especially if they are managing a family and multiple schedules. Consider meeting times that fall in the middle of the day so they fall within everyone’s normal work hours. Don’t forget that just because meetings are in a different time zone doesn’t mean your distributed employees shouldn’t get the same perks as employees in HQ. If you’re catering lunch for a lunch and learn in the office, consider sending distributed employees gift cards or letting them expense whatever mealtime it is in their time zone during that meeting. Communication in particular is hard when one team is arriving at the office just as another is leaving, or when one teammate is sleeping peacefully just as another is hitting their midday stride.

• To learn more about tools and software that can help global and remote teams, check out this helpful list.
• Whether you want to organize days when everyone is working on similar projects or just remind everyone when it’s a special birthday or anniversary, Google calendar is a good way to keep everyone on the same page.
• And as our team grows and changes, we sometimes have to change and renegotiate the way we work through time zones.
• “Alternatively, you can also block the time at the end of the day with a private reminder that says, “Go home now, you’ve been here since 6 am,” Kelly adds.
• Employees can give each response the time and attention it deserves when they take a break to check their messages.
• Each has distinct features and benefits, so you can compare a few to see what fits your needs best.

Time zones, those invisible lines that divide our world into segments of time, have long been a source of complexity, especially for remote teams spanning the globe. Remembering what time it is for your colleagues can feel like a mental jigsaw puzzle. While attempts to reinvent time zones for universal simplicity have failed, the undeniable advantages of remote work make the effort worthwhile. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits, challenges, and essential best practices of working across time zones. To avoid the frequent issue of working remotely in a different time zone, businesses might establish an official time zone for all team members to use when scheduling meetings or establishing deadlines.

Virtual meeting etiquette tips

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. Many companies are open to employees being within the same state or within a certain distance of the building. With about one-third of all workers working from home in May of 2020, it was clear that the work could still get done and people could be productive even when they were away from their normal desks. The future of work is remote, which means negotiating different time zones is an inescapable reality. Read on for 10+ strategies on making your communication inclusive and seamless.

(If you’re a developer yourself and want something similar, he’s made the code available on Github). With website personalization, you can even make certain approved documents into a public resource that customers can access as part of a self-service help platform. The best way to work working remotely in a different time zone 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. A value-based culture can be seen in the actions and implementation of the business.