Tech tips for working with people in different time zones

Under the global office model, it has become the norm for collaboration with colleagues or customers in different time zones. Although this is efficient and convenient, it can also bring about communication and project management challenges. Stop calculating time around the world! This article will introduce a range of practical tools and tips to help you easily deal with the challenges of cross-time zone collaboration.

Master the global time

Understanding the local time of colleagues or clients can help you arrange meetings and projects more efficiently.

World Clock in Google Calendar

Say goodbye to the era of multiple clocks on the wall! Google Calendar web version (not yet supported on mobile) allows you to add multiple world clocks. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner, select Settings , and then check to display the world clock to display the city time of your choice on the left side of the calendar.

World clock on mobile phone

Open the clock application that comes with your phone. iPhone users click

World Clock, and then click plus button ; Android users click Earth icon to search for the city you are interested in. You can add as many cities as you like, and the app will show the time of each city and the time difference from your location. For more convenient viewing, it is recommended to add the clock widget to the home screen of the phone.

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World Time Zone Website

The World Time Zone website provides a concise and clear global time zone map that visually displays each time zone and its longitude relationship. You can zoom in on the map to view the city time in a specific country and region, or search for specific places.

Every Time Zone Website

The Every Time Zone website provides an intuitive time zone comparison tool, where you can quickly view the time difference between your time zone and multiple cities such as Tokyo, Berlin, Dubai and more. The website layout is clear and convenient for comparison. After registering a free account, you can also customize the displayed cities and order.

There App

There is a free and easy tool for macOS (other platforms are coming soon) where you can view the locations and local time of team members. You can import team contact lists directly from Slack to There, or you can manually add people and locations (such as company headquarters).

Timezone.io website

Register a free account for Timezone.io to view the entire team’s time zone and local time in one grid view. You can also easily adjust the slider at the top of the screen to see past or future times, which is very useful for planning meetings and projects.

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Add time zone in calendar events

Both Google Calendar and Apple Calendar allow you to specify a time zone when creating a new event. Click on the corresponding entry on your mobile phone or web page, and the event time in the calendar will be automatically adjusted according to your time zone. If the event time conflicts with the office hours of any participant, you will be notified so that you can modify the event time accordingly.

Add a second time zone in Google Calendar

Google Calendar allows you to set a second time zone through the web interface. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner, and select Settings and the second time zone . After the settings are complete, select the Show the second time zone check box, and the calendar's day, week and month views will display both the time of your main time zone and the second time zone.

Set your time zone in Slack

Some simple settings can make a big difference. For example, once you set your time zone in Slack, other users can see your local time. They will also receive notifications if their contact time is not within your office hours, which helps avoid being interrupted at night. In the web version of Slack, click on the profile picture in the upper right corner, and select

Edit Profile; on the mobile terminal, select You , View profile , and then Edit profile .

Suspension Notification

If your overseas colleagues contact you too often, there are a number of ways you can avoid being interrupted. You can set notifications from a single app, or even turn off Do Not Disturb mode on your phone completely. In iOS, select

Do Not Disturb Mode from Settings; in Android, select Sound and Vibration from Settings, and then select Do Not Disturb Mode . Plan meetings more intelligently with World Time Buddy

Scheduling across time zone meetings can be tricky, but World Time Buddy can help. You can add up to four locations (paid users can add more locations) and see how the meeting time is displayed at each location. Once the meeting time is determined, you can invite all participants via email.

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Delayed sending of messages

To respect colleagues, consider avoiding sending emails during their non-working hours. If you use Gmail, you can delay sending emails no matter which way you access the platform. In the mobile app, click the three points

in the upper right corner, and then select

to schedule send

; in the web version, when writing an email, click next to Send Arrow, and select Schedule send .

Subscribe to multiple holiday calendars

If Slack appears unusually quiet, it may be because your foreign colleague is celebrating the holiday. You can learn about these festivals by subscribing to relevant calendars in Google Calendar. In the web interface, click the plus button next to other calendars , and then select to browse the calendar you are interested in, and then select Regional Festivals . This way, when you suspect that people on the other side of the world are celebrating the holiday, you can open the calendar to see if this is the case, or if there are people who need reminders.

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