Companies can build more varied and effective teams by recruiting members from all over the world thanks to the decline in the importance of employees’ physical presence on the job. Because of this, businesses can serve consumers or clients in different time zones at any hour of the day or night without disrupting communication or productivity. Working from home gives people more flexibility in their schedules, which can help them strike a better balance between their professional and personal lives.

When you’re working remotely or in a different location from other team members, you can’t easily turn to them, ask a question, or make conversation. This can make it hard to communicate and develop a relationship with your colleagues. “When you work in different timezones, it’s important to be aware of when you’re sending a message or email,” says Rebecca White, a junior writer for the HubSpot Blog. “If you’re working two timezones that don’t overlap much, why not split your shift into two instead of doing the same number of hours consecutively?” asks Kelly.

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With about one-third of all workers working from home in May of 2020, it was clear that the work could still get done and people could be productive even when they were away from their normal desks. Use this article as your guide to overcome these challenges and you’ll be well on your way to building strong working remotely in a different time zone relationships across time zones. When you are looking for employees or business partners, it can be tough to find the right person in an industry where ‘who you know’ is just as important as what you know. By hiring remote workers, you’ll never have to worry about geographical limitations again.

Plus, you need to understand the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication, and when to use each. Questions over how to ensure equal input, how to streamline meetings, and how to collaborate effectively are all valid concerns. On-the-fly collaboration tends to occur less frequently when working across time zones, but the right tools can change that. For example, implementing a virtual project management platform can help teams coordinate assignments, track individuals’ progress on tasks, and boost overall efficiency. Working across time zones brings unique challenges rarely encountered within the more traditional work models.

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Odds are, a great teammate will get back to you when they begin working the next day. Aside from allowing people to work on the same projects in different timezones, these tools allow global employees to stay on the same page about what aspects of a project have been completed. Even after having an initial conversation, you should also speak up if you’re having issues attending many meetings in multiple timezones. Likewise, you should also encourage colleagues to communicate when they’re running into timezone blockers. These discussions will better help your team learn how to strategize and identify respectful or empathetic solutions to timezone-related challenges. Second, find the times when your time zone overlaps with that of your team members’.