Working Across Time Zones Made Easy: 8 Tips to Embrace

Working across time zones can be difficult, but with these tips, you can cross borders and turn your remote working experience into a fruitful one.

There you are, working from 9 to beyond 5, but still unable to reach the bottom line.

If you want to grow your little office shaft into a powerhouse company, you’ve got to outsource the repetitive mundane tasks. After all, global remote teams are slowly becoming the new norm.

Or perhaps, you’re hesitating because you don’t know what working across time zones would mean for you and your business. Yes, it can be a bit concerning, especially for a first-timer.

However, time zone differences can be overcome with the right techniques, tools and processes, trust us.

In this blog post, we’ll give you tips on how to work remotely with the top talents on the planet, without having management nightmares at night.

How Do You Manage Remote Teams in Different Time Zones?

Listen, to make working across time zones work, you need to invest time and effort in building strong working relationships.

It’s not going to be easy, like everything else in growing a company for sure, but it’s going to pay off, tremendously.

Below is a list of tips that you can use to have your global team effectively work together.

Proper Communication

How can remote work environment be improved?

As a leader, you need to make certain that everyone is in “the know.” This means information should travel smoothly within the organization so that everybody is well-informed regarding meetings or working time.

Remember, proper communication is the groundwork for building trust and connection, resulting in team communication.

  • Embrace Asynchronous Communication

    Asynchronous communication means engagement doesn’t happen in real-time. It doesn’t allow simultaneous work, rather, it’s accomplishing one task at a time on a schedule.

    Time restrictions deal with unpredictable work hours, lack of team collaboration, and capricious real-time scheduling. 

    However, instead of depending on conversations happening at the same time, the focus should be calibrated to provide inclusion for everyone, whatever geographic region and time stretch they are in.

    The practice of asynchronous communication grants employees time to contemplate their actions and work value, which nonetheless boosts efficiency and participation.

Schedule Meetings at a Time that Works for Everyone

When you’re working with people from opposite sides of the world, finding a time that doesn’t unburden a team member is pretty challenging.

For instance, it may be hard for a virtual assistant in the Philippines and a worker in the U.S. to attend a video meeting at the same time, unless the former stays late at night.

If you’re working with a global workforce, you have to be clear in scheduling meetings. It has to be at a time that works for everyone so that everybody can participate.

Be Specific About Deadlines

Deadlines get rid of confusion. When you’re set about your deadlines, you force your global team to work together and complete tasks based on value.

Working remotely, you’ve got to be sure that deadlines are clear to every employee. They should know about the dates, timeline, and important milestones.

With amazing time zone management, you can organize, finish and update your tasks right on schedule.

Make Use of Virtual Tools

With the rise of remote work, online collaboration tools are becoming invaluable. We would even go further by saying that the success of your global team and your business depends on it.

So, make sure you leverage the right virtual tools in the most effective way. There are so many online collaboration tools that can help you be productive such as Google Workspace, Trello, Slack and Asana — take your pick.

Be Mindful of the Your Remote Team’s Schedule

Here’s the thing, you need to be mindful of your team members' working hours when working across time zones. Why? So, you don’t bother them while they’re at their productive hours.

That said, you should always try to communicate with them at their most convenient time. It’s better to set a schedule for meetings than doing it at random.

Be Flexible When Necessary

There will come a time when you need to answer the phone or be in a meeting that’s totally off your calendar. This unexpected call of urgency often happens and cannot be avoided.

In this case, we say, be a chameleon. Make sure to be there and be adaptable to the scheduling changes.

Work as if You’re Together

Sure, you probably won’t ever meet your remote worker physically, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat them as part of your team.

If you want your distributed team to flourish, you have to think and move as one and start working together.

Working Across Time Zones: How Can I Make My Remote Work Easier?

So, you’re stressing over what it would mean to be working across time zones. Fair point, however, you need not worry.

It’s true that remote work has unique challenges, but they’re not really insurmountable. In fact, some of those struggles have clear simple solutions.

Check out these tips on how to make your remote work easier.

Maintain a Routine

Don’t get us wrong, working flexibility is a godsend. But sometimes, not having a set schedule leads to distraction.

Rather than being spontaneous about it, it’s good to maintain a structured routine. Having a drill to start your day gets you organized, more focused and highly motivated. It also helps you save time, knowing what needs to be done first.

You can plan it all out, make a list, and set goals. The more put together your working days are, the less likely you’ll deviate from your course.

Create an Office Space

An office space might seem unimportant, but it actually creates a working environment for collaboration. It leads to better engagement and higher productivity.

The goal is to work together, right? So, when you set up a home workspace, just for your work, you get into that zone more easily and are less distracted.

Leverage Management Tools

With no one micromanaging you, it’s easier to get sidetracked. You’ll most likely end up spending too many hours on a task. In short, that immense freedom that you enjoy so much can be a bane to effective time management.

To smoothen out the problem, you can use management tools to keep you on watch. It can help you track your activities, making sure you’re being productive and meeting deadlines.

Set Healthy Boundaries

It’s super easy to get lost in the rhythm of work, especially when you’re working across time zones. There’s even a higher tendency for you to overwork which will eventually take a toll on your health. That’s why setting boundaries is a MUST.

At the end of your shift, make sure that you completely sign off from work. Find “balance,” work when it’s time to work, and then relax when your time calls for it.

Make Time to Exercise

Whatever you do, please, find time to exercise. Schedule a time for walking during your break and just go outside. The whole point is to get your body active to fight off your desk-bound lifestyle.

Though it may be hard to get around a busy schedule, you can try building healthy habits and learn to adapt to the circumstances. You can’t work effectively if you’re not in good condition.

What Is the Best Time Zone for Remote Work?

While working with the whole planet is definitely challenging, some time zones have it much easier because they’re technically at the center of the world.

The best time zone for remote work is those of Central European Time and Central Africa which are both prime locations.

Here’s how time works for them.

When you’re about to start your day, Australia is just finishing a day in the office. Then, in the afternoon, the United States begins its workday.

As you work with a client in America, you’ll find out that getting the ball rolling by the time your employer kisses the day can be your strongest feat. You’ll have completed most of your work by then, while still leaving hours for you to connect.

But if your clients demand you’re 100% online when they’re there, you can still make do with an evening shift.

Yes, the time difference is still going to be overwhelming, but over time, you’re going to get used to it.

Surefire, staying in this time zone makes you the king of the digital world.

Working Across Time Zones is Made Easy!

Working across time zones gives a lot of advantages, but it’s not a privilege without a catch. But by implementing the above practices and executing them well, you can have a fruitful remote working experience.

Sure, dipping your toes into new territory is scary, but if it pushes your business to grow and gives you the leverage to save resources, then it’s worth the venture.

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