5 ways to manage a remote team across different time zones

With the growth in popularity of working remotely, people are starting to realise the benefits to team productivity from employees being able to work in a comfortable, interruption-free environment.

However, there are some challenges to remote working that will always exist. One of these is working across multiple time zones. We live in exciting times where borders and time zones are no longer restrictions to hiring. The whole world is now open for you to hire the best person for the job. However, if not managed correctly, time zone differences can cause a disconnect between team members.

So what should you do if you are dealing with this situation?

We’ll look at some of the major problems, and provide 5 solutions on how to overcome them.

At the top of the list is the effect time zones can have on your team’s communication. Communication is one of the most important things to get right in any company and this is especially true for a remote team.

The better your team is at communicating, the faster problems are recognised, solved and you can move on to the next challenge.

But when time zones split people apart, communication can slow down and become fractured, video calls become less frequent and projects stall.

So, how do you overcome these barriers to communication and collaboration within your team and keep things moving?

In traditional co-located working environments, communication is often synchronous e.g. I ask something, you respond almost immediately.

In remote environments, especially where team members are located in multiple time zones, asynchronous communication becomes more appropriate. Discussion on a topic is picked up and responded to when the respondent begins working.

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