Navigating time zones: strategies for effective remote team collaboration
When your remote team are not just working from home but working around the world, it’s important to agree on ways you can stay connected and collaborate effectively.
Why it matters
In distributed teams it can be hard to coordinate meetings that work for everyone. It may be necessary to schedule meetings outside regular work hours, which can affect the work-life balance of your team. When team members are not online simultaneously, questions and tasks may take longer to address. This can slow down project timelines and lead to frustration among team members. It can also be harder to build rapport and foster a strong team culture when you're rarely online at the same time as your colleagues and have no opportunities to meet face to face.
Take action
When it comes to communicating with your team across time zones, there are a few best practices that can make the process smoother:
- Be mindful of different time zones: before scheduling a meeting, check the local times of all participants. Aim to find a time that falls within regular working hours for as many people as possible.
- Rotate meeting times: if it's not possible to find a convenient time for everyone, consider rotating meeting times so that no one group consistently bears the burden of inconvenient timings.
- Use asynchronous communication: not all discussions need to happen in real-time. Use tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for asynchronous communication, allowing team members to respond at their convenience.
- Set clear expectations: make sure all team members know how quickly they should respond to messages and emails. This helps manage expectations and ensures timely communication.
- Document everything: keep detailed records of meetings, decisions, and action items in shared documents accessible by all team members.
- Make the most of technology: use video on calls whenever possible. Seeing facial expressions and body language can enhance understanding and build stronger connections among team members.
Maximising time zone overlaps can significantly improve collaboration within remote teams. You could consider:
- Flexible working hours: allow team members to adjust their working hours slightly if it increases overlap with other team members' schedules.
- Core hours: establish core hours during which all team members are expected to be online. These hours should fall within regular working times for most participants.
- Strategic hiring: when building your remote team, consider hiring from regions with overlapping time zones or similar working hours.
- Regular check-ins: schedule regular check-ins during overlapping hours to ensure alignment on projects and address any issues promptly.
Unlock the full potential of remote work for you and your team, visit our downloads page to access free remote working resources and subscribe to our newsletter to receive insights, resources and tools in your inbox each month.
