They’re proudly a remote-first company and took full advantage of remote collaboration long before coronavirus. They’re also huge advocates of remote and asynchronous work and recognized early that when implemented effectively, remote collaboration is the key to innovation in the competitive software development landscape. GitLab might be the world’s largest fully distributed company with 1,400+ remote workers in 65+ countries. More than 30 million users and 100,000 organizations from startups to global enterprise organizations use GitLab to deliver great software at new speeds.
To avoid team blockers related to timezones, one thing Susanne Ronnqvist Ahmadi, HubSpot’s Vice President of International Marketing, says you should aim to have a flexible schedule at certain points of the day. Timezone messages like the one above can help you be mindful of what to send when to send it, and if your message is urgent enough to send as soon as possible. For example, if you have a few messages you want to send, but notice it’s 9 p.m. In another employee’s timezone, you might either want to avoid sending til the morning or schedule an email. “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. Meanwhile, if you’re not working in the same country as your broader team, “don’t be afraid to ask for meetings that are outside of others’ timezones.”
More diverse and inclusive workplace
Did you know that project management software and tools make your entire team organized? It enables you to allow everybody to have a shared repository where files can be kept for smooth retrieval at any time. Encourage employees to create their own shared experiences in workplace team chat applications, according to certain best practice examples. At Turing, we use corporate channels in team chat applications that are generally public, #random, or some more particular channels that attract individuals who have similar hobbies (e.g., #books, #games, #memes). These virtual places encourages our teams to contribute to the casual conversation thread in an ideal world regardless of when they signed in.
- Now that we have all these basics covered, we can dive into details about different time zones to help you choose which is best suited for you.
- “Let your team know you’re available over Slack (or whichever tool you use), and build in ‘air-time’ in your agenda for check-ins or quick chats.”
- Some apps like Google Calendars even serve a warning if you inadvertently try to book something outside of working hours.
- While operating with time zone differences has its benefits, it’s also challenging.
Some of the most well-known apps are Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Trello, Zoho, and Teamwork. To see which one has options that are appealing to you and your team, compare the pricing structures, the number of users allowed, and available features. Most options have https://remotemode.net/ a free trial that will allow your team to try it out and see what they think. By utilizing Dropbox, you can access the files from any computer or phone as long as you log in. It’s also a great tool to back up your computer or phone in case anything crashes.
Do All the Prep Work Ahead of Time
Expecting your teammates to be “always-on” doesn’t create the best culture and might make them feel disrespected. So, to avoid this, minimize the messages you send after hours and be patient if you don’t immediately get a response back. 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 working remotely in a different time zone allow global employees to stay on the same page about what aspects of a project have been completed. As a hardworking employee located farther away from your company’s office, you might find feel pressure to say yes to every meeting you’re invited to. Additionally, you might also find it hard to say no to meetings — or suggest other times — for meetings scheduled outside of your regular working hours.
- In any work environment building relationships fosters trust, increases collaboration, and raises productivity—but it’s especially important for remote teams.
- Maybe you’re headquartered in Sydney but work with contractors around the globe.
- You’ll learn about the key responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for an AWS developer role, including hard skills and soft skills.
- This will allow global workers to keep on the same page with each project, leaving one another notes for seamless handover.
It is not a secret that efficient communication is the foundation of success. Communication is essential in any team, but it becomes more important when working with teams in different time zones. Managing teams across different time zones don’t have to be difficult, even though it may look frightening and complicated. Virtual teams have increased in popularity in the past few years because of their capability to offer variety, specialization, and better production. Consider hosting live meetups whenever feasible to help your scattered staff connect.
Find A Team Building Event
In your remote developer job, you can use the tools and practices that are the best fit and make working remotely a pleasurable experience for everybody. Maintaining culture is a vital component of every company’s business success, but it is especially critical for totally remote teams. Understanding the distinctions between creating and maintaining a dynamic culture in a remote work setting vs an office-based environment is of utmost importance and companies can not ignore it. The key to successfully working across multiple time zones is good communication and setting clear expectations is the first step. Once companies open the options for flexible work locations, it’s important to set clear expectations. Are you expecting team members are able to travel to the office multiple times each year?
