Top tips for working across timezones

There’s a lot of talk out there when it comes to managing teams remotely and successfully working across time zones. But what about building those important relationships? What does that look like when you have a global team? Is that even possible?

At Employment Hero, we made a major decision to change the way we’re structured by adopting a fully remote-first policy in 2020. We have not looked back since. In fact, we’ve got teams around the world from the UK to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore. We do it by working remotely – and socialising locally.

With 5 different time zones to contend with on a daily basis, it’s safe to say that we think globally distributed teams are the future. But that’s not to say there are no challenges.

Here’s our top tips when it comes to building and strengthening that bond with your remote team to empower them to bring their best selves to work.

Wait, but why would I want to build a globally distributed team that’s remote?

The world of work is changing rapidly.

Without a doubt, this means the future of work is going to be different. Employees are starting to recognise that their original career paths and ideas have changed. Increasingly, they value the ability to work remotely, with some choosing to join global companies because their local options are unable to meet their needs.

In fact, remote or hybrid working looks different for everyone.

Opening up your business to a global stage and opting for a remote-first work style will help you source a wider range of talent. Yes, there are local employment laws that you will have to tackle, but the good news is that we’ve got the right tech tools to help you out.

Convinced?

Great.

Let’s get you started with tips to help ensure the bond between you and your remote team is rock solid.

Get your deadline etiquette on point

If your business is working across multiple time zones, make sure you’re clear about the expected working hours of team members in their respective regions – and that your team is aware of these hours so that they’re mindful of time zones when it comes to deadline etiquette.

Make use of Google Calendar’s built-in setting which allows you to put in working hours and locations you want to see on your calendar.

It only allows you to set up two time zones including your local region so check out World Time Buddy should you need to set up more. Don’t forget – if your team is doing late night shifts or early mornings, make sure you have a flexible work policy to help them avoid burnout.

Embrace your new asynchronous work life

Oh, the joys of asynchronicity – the ability to work together, but not at the same time. 

Empower your team with an asynchronous communication style by using tools like Slack. This will allow you to communicate with each other in real-time, and enable you to message colleagues in different time zones to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

We like to use this to get reports reviewed as if by magic. It speeds up the process significantly because they can be written one day, and reviewed, edited and approved overnight. Honestly. It’s magical.

Here’s our list of the best Slack hacks ever for building rapport:

• Use the built-in Giphy function. Access it by typing /giphy into the chat. There’s no menu but you can find what you want by entering its relevant keyword;
• Check out some Apps you can integrate into your Slack including Google Drive, Polly, Google Calendar, Asana and more;
• Don’t lose track of any important messages – pin them to the top of your channel to keep track of them (to access this, hover over the message you want to keep, hit the 3 dots and click pin to this conversation. It’ll then appear under the channel name on the left);
• Create a channel on Slack specifically for all staff members no matter what region they’re in. You can use dedicated channels for everything from company-wide updates to sharing cute pet photos. (Yes, this is one of our most popular and active Slack channels). It’s like all the benefits of holding a meeting, but so much better.

Curious about the tech stack you should be leaning on? Check out our handy blog here which rounds up the best tech out there designed for growth, transparency and collaboration.

Make room for synchronous communication for your international teams

Something we’re proud of in the marketing team at Employment Hero is our fortnightly meetings. These ensure the entire team gets a face-to-face every two weeks, and blocks in some time for synchronous communication. We often use this space to give updates on what’s been going on, introduce new members of the team and get some bonding time.

If a new team member is joining, build a habit of scheduling meetings for them to have a virtual coffee with existing team members to have a chance to welcome them and get to know how they will be able to collaborate.

Don’t forget, a massive part of team bonding is those all important hang out sessions. Why not play some online games, or host a Paint n Sip session? Don’t forget to check in with your team to see what they’d enjoy too– create a poll in advance to figure out the best option to go for. If you’re already using Slack, make use of it by checking out the Polly app integration.

For global-scale updates, we’ve recently started trialling a different style of All Hands meeting. The host will rotate, so each region gets a chance to host live meetings in their time zone.

Our top tip: make sure that these are recorded so that your respective regions can catch up, too!

Schedule regular 1:1s

When was the last time you checked in on your team to make sure they’re ok? Even though there’s a lot to be said for an increase in productivity due to a remote work lifestyle, there’s often a lot going on behind the scenes.

Make sure your managers are having regular 1:1s so that their team can have a safe space to have those important discussions about career goals, blockers, and ideas.

If you’re uncertain about what you should talk about, plan ahead and use a template. You can keep track of these crucial check-ins using our Employment Hero platform.

Facilitate the recognition of hard work

Not sure how to give recognition to someone who’s been a massive help on a project you’re working on? Or how to give thanks to someone who’s been a key contributor to something?

We’re really proud of how our platform helps broadcast well deserved shout outs so that everyone (yep, that means across all the time zones) can know about that superstar that’s been helping you out and can join in the celebration.

Build a company culture with a global mindset

Building an international team means prioritising the need to make sure everyone can stay connected and act as one team. From customer service to marketing, product and HR– it can be difficult to ensure that everyone is on the same page. A great way to tackle this is to build strong company values that can act as a guide to help your employees understand what you stand for. By working together with your team to draw out the right values, it can help boost team morale, and help customer-facing teams act as one team which will create a smoother customer experience. Once your values are formed, schedule a meeting with the entire company to create an opportunity to celebrate these and have healthy discussions. Have a clear meeting agenda that allows room for any questions. Brownie points if you can make sure the meeting is recorded in case those with time zone differences can’t make it and make an extra effort to share it using a well-written communication tool such as Notion so that the whole team and new hires are aware of these and it’s documented for easy access. Not sure where to start? Check out our handy guide here.

Simplify working across time zones with Employment Hero 

Employment Hero is the world’s first employment OS and we can help simplify remote working.  We know not everybody has the time to go through the lengthy process of building global teams. There’s a lot to go through after all: from finding the best recruitment platforms, staying on top of 1:1s, budgeting financial targets and ensuring you find the best talent for your business. That can be a lot for a small team, let alone one person to do if you’re a small business. The good news is that you can leverage our tools to help you build your team, get your time back, and save money. How’s that for a serious trifecta? Make use of our Employment Hero platform today to keep everything in one place and get time back to focus your efforts where you need them most. We’d love to be a part of your journey to world domination. Book a demo with us today to get started.