Time zones. They’re a joy. Working with teams and in markets around the
world often leads to headaches of all sorts. From your Google Calendar being
set to the wrong time, to you misreading the time zone on your Zoom invitation,
it’s a total nightmare. Not to mention getting woken up at 3am because WhatsApp’s
just started buzzing off the hook.
Here’s our guide to surviving temporal disaffection and upset international
colleagues.
Discuss work hours and boundaries: Start an honest conversation
with your people to understand everyone’s preferred work schedules and time
zones. Being transparent helps build trust and helps to avoid misunderstandings.
Obviously, there might have to be some flexibility here to accommodate the occasional
meeting, but keep everyone informed.
Communicate clearly: Be upfront if you’re not available 24/7. If
you can’t attend a meeting outside your regular hours, propose alternatives
that respect everyone’s time. But, remember, you don’t need to endlessly
justify why you can’t meet out of hours, it’s your time after all. Just do your
best to accommodate different needs.
Precision is Essential
Specify deadlines in multiple time zones: Avoid confusion by
explicitly stating deadlines in both your own time zone and your teammate’s.
This ensures everyone has the same understanding of deliverable expectations.
OR, clearly state what time zone the team is working on and stick to it.
One of the most underrated things you can do is understand time zones.
When you send times to someone make sure instead of saying “does tomorrow at 8am work” say “does tomorrow at 8am EST work”.
Not having time zones in your message will delay and sometimes ruin your chances of…
— Aaron Golub (@aaronjgolub) February 27, 2024
Be aware of time zone differences: Even when working within the
same country, be specific about deadlines. Mentioning “9 a.m. Monday Cyprus
time” avoids confusion and ensures punctuality. Notice that I said “Cyprus
time”. That’s clear as day, it’s not an acronym, it’s simple and quick to understand.
Everyone can Google “What time is it in Cyprus?” I agree with Aaron from above, but be clearer.
FYI, Cyprus follows Eastern European Standard Time (EEST), or Greenwich
Mean Time +2 (GMT +2). Better to just say “Cyprus time”.
Respect Your Client’s or Team’s Time
Schedule meetings at appropriate times: When scheduling meetings,
try to find a time that works for most team members, even if it’s not perfect
for everyone. Be mindful of avoiding times that may be inconvenient for
colleagues in different time zones. It’s hard, but always having to be the one “staying
late” or “coming in early” is annoying. If it keeps happening, perhaps give
your staff member some time off?
Respect work hours: Once boundaries are established, respect them.
Avoid sending urgent requests outside of colleagues’ designated work hours
unless absolutely necessary.
Split Shifts
Explore split shifts: If your team is split across time zones,
consider adopting a split-shift approach. Work part of your day in your local
time zone to interact with colleagues there, and dedicate another portion to
cater to the other team’s hours. It might not be possible, but you never know.
Don’t let time zones be your excuse for siloed teams. Asynchronous work is the key to unlocking a truly global workforce.
— Christophe Louvion (@chrislouvion) February 27, 2024
Alternatively, if you’ve got large teams, perhaps certain members can
work in rotation to cover difficult times of the day.
Go Digital and Use It
Use project management tools: Leverage online tools like task
management software, progress trackers, and instant messaging apps to
facilitate collaboration and communication across time zones.
Stay informed: These tools allow team members working at different
times to stay on track, understand project progress, and update each other
efficiently.
Time Your Messages
Schedule non-urgent emails: Consider the recipient’s time zone when
sending emails. If you expect a prompt response, send the email during their
work hours. If you don’t need an immediate response, send it anytime. But, make
sure to lay out expectations, “If I email you at 8.30 pm your time, I’m not
expecting you to get back to me”, would be a good way to set the rules.
Be aware of how your message comes across. If it’s in a chat group,
such as WhatsApp, remember that it will ping and buzz, regardless of if it’s
urgent. Also, remember that it can be hard to read tone and expectations in an
email. So, your colleague might not know if you expect a response.
Patience is Key
Avoid expecting immediate responses: Colleagues in different time
zones might not be readily available to respond to messages immediately. Be
patient and understanding, knowing they will likely respond when they begin
their workday.
Limit after-hours communication: Minimize sending messages outside
of colleagues’ work hours unless truly urgent. Respect their off-time and avoid
creating a culture of “always-on” availability.
Acknowledge the Difficulties
If a meeting requires team members to stay up late or wake up early,
consider ways to acknowledge the inconvenience. This could include offering
dinner expenses or scheduling the next meeting at a more convenient time. Tell
them that you appreciate it.
Be Flexible
Be available: Let your team know when you’re available for
impromptu calls or video chats through tools like Slack, and build “buffer
time” into your schedule for quick check-ins.
Be adaptable: When working remotely or across time zones, adapt to
the limitations of instant communication. Be prepared to handle situations that
might require a little more effort and flexibility.
Takeaways
And there you have it. As a comms guy, I work with teams from all over
the place, the UK, Cyprus, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It’s not
easy, but there are two clear takeaways that, if you embrace them, can help you
manage the complexities of working with remote teams and clients.
Firstly, embrace the tech. Zoom, WhatsApp, Google, Asana, Monday,
whatever software you need, it’s there. Do a little research, learn how to use
it and lean into it. You can trade forex from a device anywhere, anytime, you can play the markets, you can run a fintech from a beach in Bali, you can master Zoom.
Secondly, respect people’s time. Depending on your work culture and, perhaps,
your contracts, people won’t want to work 24/7, on their time off, or when they’d
much rather be putting the kids to bed. You don’t appreciate it when people
waste your time, so don’t waste theirs.
Go. Be productive. Wherever you are. And while you’re at it, brush up
on your Zoom
etiquette.
For more articles like this, visit our Trending section.
Time zones. They’re a joy. Working with teams and in markets around the
world often leads to headaches of all sorts. From your Google Calendar being
set to the wrong time, to you misreading the time zone on your Zoom invitation,
it’s a total nightmare. Not to mention getting woken up at 3am because WhatsApp’s
just started buzzing off the hook.
Here’s our guide to surviving temporal disaffection and upset international
colleagues.
Discuss work hours and boundaries: Start an honest conversation
with your people to understand everyone’s preferred work schedules and time
zones. Being transparent helps build trust and helps to avoid misunderstandings.
Obviously, there might have to be some flexibility here to accommodate the occasional
meeting, but keep everyone informed.
Communicate clearly: Be upfront if you’re not available 24/7. If
you can’t attend a meeting outside your regular hours, propose alternatives
that respect everyone’s time. But, remember, you don’t need to endlessly
justify why you can’t meet out of hours, it’s your time after all. Just do your
best to accommodate different needs.
Precision is Essential
Specify deadlines in multiple time zones: Avoid confusion by
explicitly stating deadlines in both your own time zone and your teammate’s.
This ensures everyone has the same understanding of deliverable expectations.
OR, clearly state what time zone the team is working on and stick to it.
One of the most underrated things you can do is understand time zones.
When you send times to someone make sure instead of saying “does tomorrow at 8am work” say “does tomorrow at 8am EST work”.
Not having time zones in your message will delay and sometimes ruin your chances of…
— Aaron Golub (@aaronjgolub) February 27, 2024
Be aware of time zone differences: Even when working within the
same country, be specific about deadlines. Mentioning “9 a.m. Monday Cyprus
time” avoids confusion and ensures punctuality. Notice that I said “Cyprus
time”. That’s clear as day, it’s not an acronym, it’s simple and quick to understand.
Everyone can Google “What time is it in Cyprus?” I agree with Aaron from above, but be clearer.
FYI, Cyprus follows Eastern European Standard Time (EEST), or Greenwich
Mean Time +2 (GMT +2). Better to just say “Cyprus time”.
Respect Your Client’s or Team’s Time
Schedule meetings at appropriate times: When scheduling meetings,
try to find a time that works for most team members, even if it’s not perfect
for everyone. Be mindful of avoiding times that may be inconvenient for
colleagues in different time zones. It’s hard, but always having to be the one “staying
late” or “coming in early” is annoying. If it keeps happening, perhaps give
your staff member some time off?
Respect work hours: Once boundaries are established, respect them.
Avoid sending urgent requests outside of colleagues’ designated work hours
unless absolutely necessary.
Split Shifts
Explore split shifts: If your team is split across time zones,
consider adopting a split-shift approach. Work part of your day in your local
time zone to interact with colleagues there, and dedicate another portion to
cater to the other team’s hours. It might not be possible, but you never know.
Don’t let time zones be your excuse for siloed teams. Asynchronous work is the key to unlocking a truly global workforce.
— Christophe Louvion (@chrislouvion) February 27, 2024
Alternatively, if you’ve got large teams, perhaps certain members can
work in rotation to cover difficult times of the day.
Go Digital and Use It
Use project management tools: Leverage online tools like task
management software, progress trackers, and instant messaging apps to
facilitate collaboration and communication across time zones.
Stay informed: These tools allow team members working at different
times to stay on track, understand project progress, and update each other
efficiently.
Time Your Messages
Schedule non-urgent emails: Consider the recipient’s time zone when
sending emails. If you expect a prompt response, send the email during their
work hours. If you don’t need an immediate response, send it anytime. But, make
sure to lay out expectations, “If I email you at 8.30 pm your time, I’m not
expecting you to get back to me”, would be a good way to set the rules.
Be aware of how your message comes across. If it’s in a chat group,
such as WhatsApp, remember that it will ping and buzz, regardless of if it’s
urgent. Also, remember that it can be hard to read tone and expectations in an
email. So, your colleague might not know if you expect a response.
Patience is Key
Avoid expecting immediate responses: Colleagues in different time
zones might not be readily available to respond to messages immediately. Be
patient and understanding, knowing they will likely respond when they begin
their workday.
Limit after-hours communication: Minimize sending messages outside
of colleagues’ work hours unless truly urgent. Respect their off-time and avoid
creating a culture of “always-on” availability.
Acknowledge the Difficulties
If a meeting requires team members to stay up late or wake up early,
consider ways to acknowledge the inconvenience. This could include offering
dinner expenses or scheduling the next meeting at a more convenient time. Tell
them that you appreciate it.
Be Flexible
Be available: Let your team know when you’re available for
impromptu calls or video chats through tools like Slack, and build “buffer
time” into your schedule for quick check-ins.
Be adaptable: When working remotely or across time zones, adapt to
the limitations of instant communication. Be prepared to handle situations that
might require a little more effort and flexibility.
Takeaways
And there you have it. As a comms guy, I work with teams from all over
the place, the UK, Cyprus, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It’s not
easy, but there are two clear takeaways that, if you embrace them, can help you
manage the complexities of working with remote teams and clients.
Firstly, embrace the tech. Zoom, WhatsApp, Google, Asana, Monday,
whatever software you need, it’s there. Do a little research, learn how to use
it and lean into it. You can trade forex from a device anywhere, anytime, you can play the markets, you can run a fintech from a beach in Bali, you can master Zoom.
Secondly, respect people’s time. Depending on your work culture and, perhaps,
your contracts, people won’t want to work 24/7, on their time off, or when they’d
much rather be putting the kids to bed. You don’t appreciate it when people
waste your time, so don’t waste theirs.
Go. Be productive. Wherever you are. And while you’re at it, brush up
on your Zoom
etiquette.
For more articles like this, visit our Trending section.
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- Source: https://www.financemagnates.com//trending/time-zone-gymnastics-the-joys-of-working-with-remote-teams/
