Content
We’ve enjoyed plenty of highs, a few challenges and learnt great lessons along the way. It is also worth considering interpretation within this element too. The live sessions may have had a simultaneous translation, so if you are providing people with an on-demand service who missed the live content, transcribed translation may need to be considered.
Why does zoom say Pacific time?
By default, Zoom recognizes your account as being in the Pacific Time Zone (PST). You must change this to see the correct time meetings will occur for where you are located.
I think for all of our health, we need to cool this expectation. A warning to anyone who is working with a client halfway across the globe. One client in India was 12 hours ahead and another in Australia was 15 hours ahead. Oh, ye who think a one-hour time conversion is simpler than an eight-hour one. The shorter the time change, the more likely I am to screw it up. My brain likes to convert the wrong direction when I’m dealing with just an hour or two. That smartphone in your pocket is good for so much more than Candy Crush, selfies, and Instagram.
Top 5 tips for managing teams across different time zones
The past two years haven’t been an easy ride, but as we emerge from the pandemic, I’m confident our radically remote strategy is working. The distance between our European and North American colleagues spans some 9,000 kilometres, yet our team are more productive than ever and firm friendships have formed.
- The agency did a great job of structuring its team internationally to deliver the job around the clock.
- When working with a remote team, it’s important to rotate the suffering.
- Although many people had already been working remotely, the appearance of COVID-19 played a significant role in this rapid shift.
- Be an empathetic leader, take the time to listen when an employee reaches out, and follow up with personal interest.
- The pandemic has changed the way we work for many people and, in some ways, has strengthened relationships around the world.
On the other hand, setting your rules and focusing on your goal will help you build beneficial remote cooperation with every client. Video conferencing and voice calls are great ways to interact and work with your team. But virtual events present a different set of time zone challenges. When we invite people to meet virtually, working across time zones we need to consider availability in a very different way and schedule to suit. So how do you start to programme content so that many people in many time zones can attend? Afterall, not many people want to view a keynote presentation after they have stopped work for the day and family and other matters, rightly, take priority.
Productivity benefits of team gatherings
I also use these times for us to engage in team strategic discussions or decision-making, since it’s much more effective to reach alignment around complex issues when we are in the same room. When we’re able to travel again, I know the costs for these team rituals spurs our team’s performance for the long periods of distribution. A smart travel strategy is a necessary component for a high-performing, globally-integrated team.
And for every tech candidate, there are three openings to fill. When you can’t grab a colleague for a coffee and chat, communication becomes even more critical. Slack particularly helps us execute projects seamlessly across three continents, whether communication is synchronous. Our team members can custom set their status too, reminding others where they’re located around the globe. Every team needs to think about what may be best for them, but you’ll want more of these checkpoints during extreme distribution than you would need for co-located teams. Some helpful practices to aid teams working remotely manage their new reality. Communicating deadlines clearly is important especially if you are dependent on others for producing a piece of work in the run up to a project for example.