How-to Guide for Managing Teams Across Time Zones Workest

Even the most introverted remote workers need social interaction, humans just aren’t designed for solitude. When you don’t need to consider time zones, you can attract and hire the best talent regardless of location. This is a massive benefit, even if you are located in a hub like San Francisco or New York, chances are the best person for the job doesn’t live within commuting distance of your office. Microsoft continues to evolve and create new applications and updated features to benefit the evolving workplace. Teams is a popular addition that many companies have started to benefit from, especially as they needed to reach people in varying locations. It brings all communication into one shared workspace that can be accessed from a computer, a phone, or a tablet.

But there was a really bright light with me being in Berlin and the client being stateside. I could edit all day and send the edits back to the client in my afternoon, just as they got back up and were starting to write again. To maintain my moniker of a part-time world traveler, I spent winter 2016 in Europe, living in Berlin for all of November.

Working Across Time Zones: Pros, Cons, and Best Practices

Remember to check the accuracy of the time zone information and consider any potential daylight saving time adjustments when using these tools, as time zones can change periodically. Imagine a virtual library where documents and resources are neatly categorized, waiting to be explored. This hub https://remotemode.net/blog/10-tips-on-working-in-different-time-zones/ becomes the foundation for collaboration, making it easy to access information and encouraging knowledge sharing. Whether it’s a cloud storage system, a project management platform, or an intranet, this centralized database is a valuable tool for making information easily available to everyone.

Or, this could mean that you develop a virtual team meeting schedule that fits within everyone’s active work hours — rather than making some teammates call in late at night or in the early morning. On-the-fly collaboration tends to occur less frequently when working across time zones, but the right tools can change that. For example, implementing a virtual project management platform can help teams coordinate assignments, track individuals’ progress on tasks, and boost overall efficiency. Of course, if you can’t afford to fly your entire team to a location very often, you can turn to virtual team-building events to keep up the team spirit in the meantime.

Rotate Schedules to Evenly Accommodate Everyone

This wouldn’t need to be a daily task, but maybe just pick one day and everyone enter it so there is a visual the whole team can use until they get the hang of it. Asynchronous communication should be the norm for remote teams, especially those with personnel in multiple time zones. Embracing flexibility in working hours and acknowledging the challenges posed by different time zones can cultivate a thriving remote team.