Companies are leveraging the benefits of hiring from the global talent pool working remotely. Regardless of the cons associated with remote working, companies are opting to choose this workplace model because the pros outweigh the cons.

Now, it all comes down to the manager to handle their remote teams efficiently. One of the significant issues that comes with a global remote workforce is the time difference between the manager and the team members. The key to working well across time zones is to develop and maintain relationships across time zones and embrace async practices and remote communication tools.

In this blog, we will discuss strategies for overcoming the challenges of managing team members from different time zones.

Managing Team in Different Time Zones

Managing a global workforce is one of the biggest challenges in companies. The meetings and calls are a must to get the team members together and collaborate with each other. It might be tough for team leads and managers to handle this. Leaders play an important role in managing a team, and here are some challenges they can face while leading a remote global workforce:

• Scheduling a meeting that includes all of the team members 
• Less scope for real-time collaboration
• Lack of proper communication and response time
• Excessive dependence on the tool of asynchronous communication
• Team members do not feel like they are a member of the team due to less communication 

The key is to understand that remote team members will always lack real-time communication, which is important for getting things done on time. Hence, managers should focus on setting up clear communication guidelines with the team members and asking them to settle on a decision regarding how to overcome the time difference. 

If you can express your thoughts effectively and understand the employee’s condition and concerns, you both can make adjustments to streamline collaboration. 

Strategies For Handling Teams at Different Time Zones

Managers or team leads may face challenges while managing the remote team for different tasks. We have provided some strategies that can help overcome these challenges and foster team cohesion worldwide.

1. Determine Everyone’s Preferred Work Hours and Time Zone 

You can encourage your team members to provide their preferred work hours and time zones so that you can get an idea about their availability. In addition, you can find out their common time to collaborate for meetings. Collaborating with each other every day helps you to understand your team and builds a good culture for your team.

2. Establish Communication & Collaboration Guidelines

Make sure your employees get a clear understanding of which communication tool to use and when. This helps in establishing transparent communication between the team members. You can provide the documentation of the communication channels your organization uses to new joinee at the time of onboarding.

You must choose the right communication channel to communicate with your team, keeping in mind that everyone has different time zones. You can utilize project management and other productivity tools to organize your tasks and track your team’s progress. 

3. Asynchronous Communication

Asynchronous communication is a good way to establish communication between global teams. This can enhance focus, boost additional inclusive participation, and create effective collaboration across different time zones.

Here are some tips by which you can establish a clear asynchronous communication:

• Plan the deadlines and expectations and communicate the information to the team.
• When online meetings are not possible, you can replace them with recorded videos and keep everyone in the loop.
• Use various collaboration tools like Trello, Figma, Miro, and Asana for effective teamwork
• Maintain good time management with tools to motivate your team members to complete the work before the deadline and avoid last-minute glitches.

4. Promote Time Zone Fairness

A few team members can face challenges owing to time zone differences. As a team leader, it is essential to establish a balanced environment where no member of the team feels placed under undue stress and pressure based on location. You can follow some strategies given below:

• Rotate meeting times: Rotate meeting schedules regularly to prevent burdening the same people with unfavorable time zones.
• Evaluate task urgency: You need to holistically study the team’s responsibilities to determine which tasks are completely time-sensitive and which can be relocated.
• Execute location-independent procedures: Whenever possible, design workflows that do not depend on any particular times or locations.
• Leverage shared calendars: Using shared calendars improves elements like transparency and communication so everyone remains aware of their availability.
• Use scheduling tools/time management tools: For fixed deadlines, deployments, or publications, ensure proper scheduling to maintain fairness across different time zones.

5. Respect the Work-life Balance

Effective team management must be a primary goal of a manager. This is especially true for remote employees located in different time zones. You must appreciate your team’s diversity and flexibility and avoid imposing your work schedule on them. You can encourage your team members to maintain their working hours and avoid sending urgent tasks when they are not available.

Utilizing Time Management Tools for Handling Time Zones

Time management tools play an important role in handling time zones and ensuring a good balance between the teams. Some of the best tools we have listed below:

• Slack

It can adjust the time zone when a user travels, and the teams are in different time zones. Team members can utilize the status update feature of Slack. It allows you to set the status if you are out of the office or having lunch. Slack streamlines remote working and provides features like history, real-time chat, and team archiving. You can also build threads and channels in Slack. These assist your remote teams in managing discussions, due dates, and the continuous work that each person is undertaking.

• Trello

Your team can see the big picture of every project—IT, marketing, and HR—with Trello. It facilitates collaboration with distant workers in different time zones. This tool allows you to assign assignments with deadlines and monitor work progress. It has a dashboard that monitors the progress of the tasks and lets you celebrate each milestone your team achieves

• Bonusly

Focusing on team satisfaction and acknowledgment, Bonusly meets your staff’s emotional requirements and keeps team morale high. Enjoy the added benefit of knowing that your geographically dispersed staff remains innovative and productive. You can highlight accomplishments and commend staff members for reaching goals and finishing assignments. Your staff can show appreciation for one another from anywhere using Bonusly’s virtual awards and recognition features.

Some other tools include Teamwork and Google Calendar. When you want to track the progress of tasks and time, you can manage your team’s daily routine with Teamwork. You can create intake forms for team information and client requirements. 

With Google Calendar, you can schedule meetings in any time zone, and the recipients get their own time zone. You can also view your team’s religious or local holidays in this. 

Wrapping up! 

To successfully address the challenges of global team management in different time zones, you need effective planning, adaptability, and communication. Employers can manage these issues effectively by implementing the strategies discussed above. Adopting global remote work opportunities and relying on best practices and technology can help improve productivity and bring success in the current interconnected environment. The time management tools may help you prioritize your tasks, track your team’s progress, and establish clear communication. Make sure you share the guidelines about how to use it and when to use it with the team at the time of onboarding. 

Hyqoo elevates your hiring by using the right technology. If you are facing any challenges in hiring the right talent for your project requirements, we have the solution for you. Contact us today for more details. 

FAQs

• How to foster culture and trust within a remote-based team?

You can acknowledge each team member’s unique contributions and organize events that foster social contact and team building among your employees, such as online coffee breaks, icebreakers, games, or quizzes. 

• What are some tools that help teams to work according to the time difference?

Here’s the list of tools that team managers can use: 

• Utilize Google Calendar, and ask your team members to set their location, time zone, and standard working hours to avoid setting up meetings at inconvenient times. 
• Remote workforce team can also use Slack, where members can put their current location or time zone as their Slack Status message. 
• Gather is another tool that managers and teams can use to replicate organic interactions and spontaneous connections in an in-person office environment. 
• How to improve team communication within the global workforce?

In remote teams, adaptability and understanding are the keys. You can experiment with various communication tools and methods. Get feedback from the team about the outcomes and improvements. Discuss ways to improve team collaboration and any gaps or challenges in the team’s performance.