Companies Are Discriminating Against Remote Workers: Time-Zone Prejudice

Within Google Calendar, one of my absolute favorite ways to stay productive while working at home or freelancing, you can have your time zone, and a second one. For more on making meetings as productive as possible, see our guide to managing meetings when working remotely. In this day and age with working remotely while traveling, it’s less clear than ever before as to where someone is physically located and what time it is near them at a certain moment. In the end if you start forcing unrealistic working hours, you’re going to burn out and lose the freedom you’ve given yourself. I’ve done this before in Europe with colleagues that work Central time (+0600).

With a surge in how many people are working remotely and from where, more people than before are navigating large time differences. When working with teammates in different time zones, respecting their working hours is vital. Be mindful of the time differences and avoid scheduling meetings at odd hours. If you’re in a different time zone, don’t expect people to be available during your working hours.

Work From Home Office Upgrades For Remote Work

In order to create a cohesive team, it is important to demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences. Real-time information and context shouldn’t be limited to one-off videos and screen captures. Notion, Confluence, and even Google Drive can all be used to document best practices and processes on an internal wiki.

To ensure that everyone follows the same schedule, your team should use time zone converters. You could even integrate them with team-wide work tools like project management systems and calendar apps. Eliminating a dependence on time zones for synchronous communication requires some significant shifts in how your team works. Customer support teams with queues that people work through can easily adapt to having team members roll into the queue as others roll out.

Know your remote team’s working hours

Julie, who works in marketing at a tech company and whose name has been changed to avoid getting in trouble at work, also felt that her time zone disrupted her ability to get to know coworkers. ​caution​The above team might be just one new employee away from losing any areas of standard business hours overlap. Asking people to attend meetings at early or late hours can be very challenging for people who are caretakers, which is one of the many reasons people choose remote work in the first place. At some point, you may be forced to architect your time zone management in a way that will support business growth and individual needs.

If colleagues are close by, try asking them to work together at one desk so they can easily collaborate on projects as necessary. Headphones not only block out the noise, but I particularly like to use my headphones as a non-verbal social cue that I don’t want to engage or talk. With regular earbuds from behind, how will people know you’re in the zone? This tip also applies to block out chaotic family members at home or even for those moments on Friday when everyone is feeling chattier at work. If you’re feeling like you’re always reacting, then here’s one change you can make.

Collaboration and communication difficulties

Maintaining open lines of communication and a positive attitude can go a long way in building strong relationships with your colleagues. To overcome this substantial obstacle, it’s important to utilize technology to its fullest potential. This might mean using instant messaging platforms like Slack or Skype to stay in touch throughout the day or scheduling regular check-ins to ensure that everyone is on the same page. It’s also important to be proactive in your communication, asking questions and seeking clarification when necessary. One of the most significant challenges of working in a different time zone is the potential for communication barriers. When your colleagues or clients are asleep while you’re awake, it can be difficult to get the information you need or to convey your own ideas effectively.

These and other best practices can be part of an employee handbook that can be a go to guide to not just keep everyone on the same page but also a troubleshooting guide in cases where there is lack of clarity. These can include a 24×7 chat group, ease of one-to-one conversations, minutes of the meeting, and more. Plus, you must get specific when discussing dates so that each employee understands the importance of a task and works accordingly.

It will prevent confusion or misguidance, ensuring a smooth work routine. Another excellent advantage is that your work is continuously on, and you can serve clients throughout the day. Plus, someone or the other is always present for responding to emergencies and problems. Remote work is a working style that lets you work outside the traditional office environment based on the idea that work doesn’t need to be done from a specific place. If you are receiving information, always assume the person has good intent. This issue can be compounded when you employ a diverse team who come from different locations and cultural backgrounds, many of whom may be communicating in their second (or third) language.

But the biggest benefit might be how much it cuts off onboarding new employees who can simply read the archives and get up to speed on key decisions, culture, and work styles. Async communication allows people to process the information on their own time and respond at their own convenience, reducing the number of interruptions people receive. However, it’s becoming increasingly hard to argue against the benefits of remote work. Yes, there are challenges https://remotemode.net/blog/10-tips-on-working-in-different-time-zones/ but the benefits ultimately outweigh the hassle. For example, if a Boston-based marketing manager gives a California-based blogger a deadline for “9 a.m. Monday,” it might be hard to determine whether the deadline was for 9 a.m. It was when we were stripped of the ability to bandy thoughts back and forth, we noticed the importance of aligning between teammates, and learned how to intentionally set up our process to help teammates align.

While remote, you may be noticing meetings have piled onto your calendar. Go in with a documented agenda, questions, and especially with an understanding of the purpose and ideal outcome of the meeting. Turn your kindness and understanding knob up about 15% when you’re remote. It might feel odd, but the space for miscommunication and misunderstanding can compound. I joined ProductPlan in the summer of 2019, excited to sink my teeth into creating product management content. With the remote first work culture spreading across the globe, many companies have employees scattered all over the world.