6 Easy Ways to Manage a Team in Different Time Zones

Managing a team working in the same room is already challenging, how much more if you’re managing a remote team in different time zones? You see, keeping team members that are scattered all around the world on the same page would take more than just a pep talk.

As the leader, you have to understand that your global team’s rhythm won’t always be in sync. Since every team is unique, it’s expected that you have to go through a trial and error stage until you get that perfect formula that only works for your team. Even if there’s no hard and fast rule on how to manage a team across multiple time zones, we can always learn from the best practices shared by successful teams and leaders.

With a few tweaks and modifications, these tips will also do wonders for you and your team. Here are some of the best practices in managing a team in different time zones:

1. Avoid working 24/7

By now, you already know that burnout is real. It can happen to you, too. Instead of spreading yourself thinly across different time zones, share the burden among your team members. You see, being the manager of a team composed of members from all parts of the world doesn’t mean you have to work round the clock. Leadership doesn’t mean you’ll always burn the midnight oil. The good thing about a global team is that you always have people working online 24/7.

Instead of working multiple shifts, delegate a team leader who’ll be accountable for each one. Make sure your assigned team lead coordinates with the rest of the team that’s also working on the same shift. You can simplify the coordination process between each one if you have an online collaboration tool where you can freely and openly communicate. Through this, even those who aren’t working on a particular shift know the concerns and issues involving them. As such, they can simply pick up the actions done by team members working on the previous shift.

2. Stick to a consistent schedule

As the leader of the team, it’s your job to ensure that meeting times and work schedules remain consistent. A fixed schedule helps remote workers feel connected to the group. Most remote workers also feel disconnected from their team if they’re left unchecked for a long time. Creating a consistent meeting schedule can help build a routine that gives people a sense of order and fosters team cohesion. A fixed working time also gives them a sense of responsibility to show up and be productive in that given time frame.

Weekly team meetings also provide a structure within the organization. If you start doing this, make sure that your sessions are long enough to give time to remedy connection hiccups and catch-up aside from the formal work project sharing agenda. Talking about things that are personal to your employees can make them feel at ease and less awkward despite the distance.

You can make your weekly meeting more fun, too. You can schedule fun activities like inviting your remote staff to breakfast, lunch, cocktails, or dinner, depending on their time zone. Those who work on a specific time zone will eat lunch together via video conferencing in your virtual team cafeteria. Simple things like these make people feel that they’re part of something bigger and something that takes their wellbeing seriously. With activities like this, they won’t feel that they’re entirely on their own.

3. Keep yourself aware of new technology

Another way of keeping your global team cohesive is to improve the way you collaborate. Skype may be the best way to call a team member in the past, but now, you can hold a conference through Zoom, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams. In the past, emailing other team members about a project was the norm, but now, you can make your collaboration more interactive with tools like Slack, Asana, Trello, and more.

As the leader of the team, you must hunt the best collaboration and video conferencing platforms. And once you find one that fits your team, you also must make sure that each team member knows how to utilize such technology. When you get everyone on board with your new collaboration tool, then that means you can keep everyone on the same page, too.

4. Be mindful of what happens outside of the room

Ever heard of the ‘presence disparity’ concept? This concept means that people tend to listen and pay more attention to those who are physically present. This can be best illustrated when you’re holding a team meeting, and some attendees are connecting via video or phone while others are in the same room.

You need to be mindful of the people who aren’t physically present in the meeting room. Give time to listen to everyone speaking and avoid giving preferential attention to the team member who’s in the same place. To do this, maintain eye contact with the person talking on video and acknowledge everyone’s presence as you start the meeting. And just in case the discussion in the room gets heated, gently pause and ask the participants to share their thoughts on the topic being discussed.

5. Don’t be afraid to spend on your employees’ airfare

We can’t stress enough the importance of cohesion in a global team. There’s no other tool that can take the place of being with the rest of the team in the same room. This is the reason why once in a while, you need to spend money on your employees’ workshops, team buildings, and get-togethers. Through these, you can renew personal ties, build trust, and have embodied and unmediated experiences as a team.

6. Be a good listener

A good leader isn’t someone who always talks and gives orders. Instead, they’re someone who listens well to their team members. If you give people the time of day, they’ll start to feel that they’re important and valuable members of the team. They’ll also feel more engaged. At the end of the day, it’s you who’ll reap the benefits of a highly-engaged and productive global team.

Final thoughts

Managing a global team can be daunting. However, if you take time to learn from the experiences of your predecessors and those who were successful in this endeavor, you can learn a thing or two about effective team management. On top of that, you also get to make better results for your team. We hope these tips can help you forge a better relationship with all the collaborators of your group. Good luck and see you at the top!