Time Zones Series: The Principles

Everyone works for various reasons, and I know I am an idealist, but I do think that working standard hours is a human right. I’d like to introduce some principles that can make it fair for everyone when working with people in different time zones.

• Be compassionate - everyone has responsibilities outside of the office

• Fewer areas to focus - be realistic and try to get less done.

• Use asynch tools whenever possible - Slack, spreadsheets, google docs, etc.

• Use a working agreement and update it often - get it in writing so no one is making assumptions. Things change and things might not be working so reviewing and updating the agreement is critical.

If we use these principles when working with people in other time zones we will have less burnout and more productivity. Next post we talk about the process.