Working Across Multiple Time Zones: Tools and Strategies

Routines are extremely powerful and can be a great attributing factor to success when working remotely. We’ve asked 19 experts who have experience working remotely in different positions to share their biggest challenges of remote work. When it comes to quick communication some tools, like Slack, will even give you a notification before or after you send a message stating which timezone your recipient is in. “The hardest thing to do is to make sure you don’t end up working 12-hour days routinely,” Kelly notes.

Working during one chunk of the day caters to your timezone, followed by another shift that caters to another team’s timezone, is often called a split shift. Without holding real-time meetings, you may send fast messages, explain new methods, and clarify complex topics with your team. Everyone can look through these at their leisure, take notes, and return to your instructions or ask questions afterward. Meeting planning is made easier with tools like World Time Buddy and Time and Date. Simply enter your team’s current locations, and these calculators will calculate the best times to meet (and even show local holidays being observed). It’s nearly hard to arrange everyone to meet at the same time without inconveniencing someone if you don’t have team members working in overlapping time zones.

Instead of communicating, send an email

If this time zone sounds appealing to you, we suggest you take a look at the cheapest places to stay in Thailand. This time zone however is not for people who are not at a stage where they can take a step back and cut out interaction. The six hour time difference between the US and Canada’s Eastern Standard Time (EST) can working remotely in a different time zone be overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes a great advantage. If you are working with someone in the US, you will have the benefit of getting a head start on your day. By the time your clients wake up, you will have finished most of your work and still have three hours left to sync up with them.

Although demand for employee monitoring software has skyrocketed since 2020, companies still haven’t figured out how to effectively measure remote workers’ performance. A study of an Asian information technology company’s remote employees during the pandemic showed a decline in productivity of 8 to 19 percent. Another, looking at an American call center, found that when workers went remote, they made 12 percent fewer calls. On the other https://remotemode.net/ hand, a study of the productivity of economic researchers in the United States during the pandemic found a roughly 24 percent increase in their output. Asynchronous communication (“async”) is when information is sent at separate times with a delay in between. For example, writing an email, sending a Loom video, or leaving a voice message for someone so they can respond to it whenever works best with their schedule (and yours).

Test out split shifts or workdays that cater to different timezones.

Whether you’re planning a normal meeting, a virtual water cooler for team building, or a birthday party for a coworker, you should strive to organize these activities at a time that is convenient for all business employees. Exercise, eat well, and practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing. By taking care of yourself, you’ll be better equipped to handle the challenges of working remotely through various time zones and enjoy traveling the world. When scheduling meetings, tools like Doodle or Calendly can help you find a time that works for everyone. Remember to also take advantage of video conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet for face-to-face communication, which can help build rapport and trust among team members.