Managing time-zone differences across the globe

Introduction

Remote work has numerous benefits, with one of the biggest perks being the capability to hire and onboard world-class talent from anywhere in the world. While the conventional work system allows for the hiring of employees within a particular region, today, global hiring makes it possible to get the best talent as a team member from anywhere across the world.

While having a globally distributed team increases productivity and enables organizations to work with the best talent, managing time zone differences across the globe can be challenging. If you’re working remotely in different time zones, it gets trickier to remember what time it is for your colleague in Spain and another in India. Figuring out an optimal time for a meeting with teammates from across the United States to Asia is a constant battle. 

To work successfully across different time zones, companies need to focus on building a positive company culture by removing all barriers that have originated due to the lack of ability to manage teams in different time zones. Suppose your distributed team is unable to stay on the same page. In that case, there is a high possibility that your employees will experience a misalignment of issues, which will eventually create a professional detachment across teams.

With this in mind, here are a few points on how to work efficiently with teammates across different time zones.

Avoid micromanagement

Low employee morale, high staff turnover and less productivity can be linked to micromanagement. Its negative influence is so intense that it is labeled among the top three reasons employees resign. Team members are advised to avoid the following:

• Demanding an employee to check in at specific times of the day.
• Mailing and sending random text messages to see if they’re working.

Don’t let micromanaging stop you from having a cordial relationship with your remote team. Be mindful that you’ve hired the employee for a reason, and it's essential that you trust them to do their job as intended.

Set realistic expectations

Setting realistic expectations is crucial for leads, managers and employees to achieve goals and be productive. Managers must understand the pros and cons of a globally distributed remote team working across time zones and set expectations accordingly. Scheduling and assigning a task list at the start of a week gives your employees a scope to analyze the target work beforehand. Thus, setting weekly objectives can help keep the workflow going, irrespective of time zones. Also, inducing two-way communication to ask your team about their idea of the expectations set by you and creating a day-to-day work outline that works best for both will be mutually beneficial.

Use efficient software tools

Choosing the right online tools is essential for maintaining an effective relationship with your distributed team. For a team from various parts of the world to collaborate seamlessly, it's vital to have an online video and audio conferencing tool that works best globally. To manage time zone differences efficiently, choose the optimal communication tools that promote asynchronous communication where team members can communicate at their convenience.

Get constant feedback

Overcoming time zone differences is challenging. Every distributed team is prone to these struggles. While it's challenging, providing and asking for regular feedback is one of the effective ways to overcome these challenges and develop a strong relationship. Get to know what is working for them, what’s not working for your team, their suggestions to improve the way the team works and things they would like to see as a welcome change in the organization. Make it a point to provide consistent and constructive feedback, get feedback from time to time and implement it simultaneously.

Wrapping up

Balancing a global organization with employees working in different time zones from different locations all over the globe can be difficult. Nevertheless, a well-strategized work culture that successfully manages work hours in different time zones can conclusively mark massive growth for a company.

Managing a globally distributed team is complicated and arduous. However, an Employer of Record platform like Skuad handles the organization’s entire employment lifecycle and ensures that the organization can scale business operations while delivering on efficient distributed team management practices. 

With Skuad, you can compliantly hire employees and contractors, onboard talent, and manage payroll without setting up a subsidiary in over 160 countries. 

To know more about Skuad, book a demo today.