Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants working remotely in a different time zone throughout the program. Employees who aren’t as familiar with the common language might be less inclined to speak up in group meetings, while those who are fluent might dominate the conversation.
Consider establishing a rule that unless everyone in your team can be together in the same room, every meeting should be held through video calls to ensure fairness and clarity. If part of your meeting is taking place between people in the same room, those who cannot physically attend can find it more difficult to chime in. With everyone attending the meeting separately on video calls, regardless of their location, everyone is on a level playing field. It makes it easier to track who is speaking and avoids prioritising communication between select groups. We use a variety of tools at Buffer, many of which we’ve blogged about before. For synchronous, everyone-at-the-same-time communication, we use Slack for written chats and Zoom for video chats.
The pros and cons of working across time zones: What to expect when you work in a distributed company
One of our challenges as a team is to strike the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous communication. Using these tools to keep time zones top of mind makes sure that all team members have an equal opportunity to work smarter, not harder, and that they can engage or disengage when they want. In this one, you can type in specific places and time zones to get exact times for those who may not be in the major cities. Another handy one, especially if you’re planning a meeting across time zones, is Every Time Zone, which allows you to toggle around to see what the time of your choosing is across every time zone.
- Overall, being in different time zones leads to misalignment and challenges in communication, collaboration, and teamwork.
- Erhard added that having an international team broadens the candidates who could potentially join your company, which translates to an overall stronger and more skilled team.
- A remote worker must be a self-starter who can continue working without someone watching them.
- Alternatively, Kelly says you could also consider picking a few days per week where you’ll work on another international team’s schedule entirely.
- When your global teammates feel like their schedule is respected, they might feel happier at their job, less stressed, or have an easier time tuning out of work communication outside of their main work hours.
Overall, planned travel is generally more convenient, efficient, and enjoyable than unplanned travel. I believe that living in a developed city with a high salary but with polluted air would be a challenging decision to make. While the financial benefits of living in a developed city with a high salary can be tempting, the negative impact of pollution on health cannot be ignored. Exposure to polluted air can lead to respiratory problems and increase the risk of developing various diseases. Therefore, I would prefer to live in a city with a good balance between economic opportunities and a healthy environment to maintain a good quality of life.
The Pros and Cons of Working Across Time Zones
Therefore, I didn’t want to miss them for anything, driven by the fear that my team might be wondering what I was up to if not delivering on my communicated plans. On that note, as a warning, guesswork can be a huge time-suck with remote work. Sometimes the messages my team sent on Slack were vague or confusing and I’d find myself approaching it like trying to decipher code. Be upfront with what confused you and state how you interpreted the message in your response back.
