How to work effectively across time zones
Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 4:12 am
The past few years have seen a significant shift in the way we work. With the rise of remote jobs—expected to account for 22% of the U.S. workforce by 2025—organizations and managers are asking questions like whether we should go into the office, how often, and of course, what our work schedule should be.
When working with globally distributed teams, it's normal to have employees in different time zones. However, for some managers, it can be difficult to coordinate with geographically dispersed teams.
If you are facing a similar challenge, this article is for you.
Read on to learn more about how to effectively coordinate with your team across time zones.
Challenges teams face when working across time zones
While the global work environment offers several advantages, it also comes with a number of unique challenges.
Here are some of the key challenges faced by teams working across time zones.
Communication delays : When croatia number data employees work across time zones, responses to emails and messages are likely to be delayed, slowing down decision-making.
Difficulty scheduling meetings : It's harder to find meeting times that fit everyone's schedule. Some employees may not participate in meetings due to lack of time.
Task coordination : When team members do not work simultaneously, it is difficult to align preferred working hours and coordinate work, especially if there are dependencies to complete a task.
Limited overlap of hours : If employees work in very different time zones, the overlapping working hours between team members may be very few. This limits synchronous communication and can delay project results.
Difficulty in tracking progress: Coordinating employee transfers from one time zone to another can be complex. This can lead to gaps in task progress.
Strategies and best practices for collaborating across time zones
Here are some strategies and best practices you can implement to help remote and distributed teams stay productive and cohesive.
1. Use effective communication strategies
Time differences, cultural variations, and technological obstacles can make effective communication difficult across distributed teams. Try the following strategies to remove these obstacles:
Establish communication protocols
Define clear communication guidelines for teams working across time zones. This helps remote teams stay aligned as everyone is on the same page when it comes to providing updates, addressing issues, and communicating changes.
You can set communication protocols for the type of channel to use and the frequency of meetings. Also, adjust response times based on your team's preferred working hours.
Example: Use email for formal communication about project updates, announcements, and reports. Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours. _Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours._Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours._Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours.
Use ClickUp's Communication Matrix and Team Meetings Template to plan and organize an effective communication plan for your team.
Organize your meeting calendars, goals, and communication channels in one unified platform with ClickUp's team meeting and communication matrix template
Download this template
Organize your meeting calendars, goals, and communication channels in one unified platform with ClickUp's team meeting and communication matrix template
This template's meeting schedule view allows you to schedule meetings, and the meeting status view gives you insight into the progress of your scheduled meetings. This allows you to fine-tune effective communication and a meeting schedule for your team.
When working with globally distributed teams, it's normal to have employees in different time zones. However, for some managers, it can be difficult to coordinate with geographically dispersed teams.
If you are facing a similar challenge, this article is for you.
Read on to learn more about how to effectively coordinate with your team across time zones.
Challenges teams face when working across time zones
While the global work environment offers several advantages, it also comes with a number of unique challenges.
Here are some of the key challenges faced by teams working across time zones.
Communication delays : When croatia number data employees work across time zones, responses to emails and messages are likely to be delayed, slowing down decision-making.
Difficulty scheduling meetings : It's harder to find meeting times that fit everyone's schedule. Some employees may not participate in meetings due to lack of time.
Task coordination : When team members do not work simultaneously, it is difficult to align preferred working hours and coordinate work, especially if there are dependencies to complete a task.
Limited overlap of hours : If employees work in very different time zones, the overlapping working hours between team members may be very few. This limits synchronous communication and can delay project results.
Difficulty in tracking progress: Coordinating employee transfers from one time zone to another can be complex. This can lead to gaps in task progress.
Strategies and best practices for collaborating across time zones
Here are some strategies and best practices you can implement to help remote and distributed teams stay productive and cohesive.
1. Use effective communication strategies
Time differences, cultural variations, and technological obstacles can make effective communication difficult across distributed teams. Try the following strategies to remove these obstacles:
Establish communication protocols
Define clear communication guidelines for teams working across time zones. This helps remote teams stay aligned as everyone is on the same page when it comes to providing updates, addressing issues, and communicating changes.
You can set communication protocols for the type of channel to use and the frequency of meetings. Also, adjust response times based on your team's preferred working hours.
Example: Use email for formal communication about project updates, announcements, and reports. Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours. _Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours._Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours._Set the expectation that each email will receive a response from the appropriate team member within 24 hours.
Use ClickUp's Communication Matrix and Team Meetings Template to plan and organize an effective communication plan for your team.
Organize your meeting calendars, goals, and communication channels in one unified platform with ClickUp's team meeting and communication matrix template
Download this template
Organize your meeting calendars, goals, and communication channels in one unified platform with ClickUp's team meeting and communication matrix template
This template's meeting schedule view allows you to schedule meetings, and the meeting status view gives you insight into the progress of your scheduled meetings. This allows you to fine-tune effective communication and a meeting schedule for your team.