An Office Time Zone: Benefits and Drawbacks
Publié le 5 August 2020
Remote work and international recruitment were already growing trends for companies in multiple industries and fields. The past six months has seen an unprecedented shift to remote work for necessary reasons, leaving many businesses trying different formats and schedules to see what works best for them. Managing and working with employees not only in different locations, but even different time zones is now a daily reality for many leaders and employees. One type of scheduling that can be of use in a remote workplace is establishing an office time zone.
What Is An Office Time Zone?
An office time zone is a policy for scheduling remote workers in a virtual office. Every employee begins and ends work at the same time, adjusted for their time zone. For example:
- Employees in the Central Time Zone will start at 8 AM CST
- Employees in the Eastern Time Zone will start at 9 AM EST
- Employees in the Atlantic Time Zone will start at 10 AM AST
The idea is that it replicates the schedule of a traditional office in a virtual setting for remote workers. This is a big decision for a company to make, as it will have a ripple effect on a business’s ability to complete tasks, produce work and interact with clients. There are several pros and cons to creating an office time zone for a remote workplace.
PROS
Everyone Works Together
Establishing a strong work community must be a priority for a business. Teamwork does, after all, make the dream work. A workplace community with a strong corporate culture takes time to develop and effort to maintain, and many leaders fear that the transition to remote work in a virtual office will mean losing this community. The office time zone is one way to maintain a sense of the workplace community, even as employees work in seperate locations. Company leaders should do everything they can to make it easier for employees to work together and collaborate. With everyone working during the same time period, it approximates the feeling of the office, where collaboration and support can be spontaneous and constant.
Breaks Can Be Synchronized
Breaks are an important part of the work day. These periods of rest give employees time to rest and recharge, improving work performance, productivity and well-being. Even breaks as short as 10 minutes in length have positive benefits and should be encouraged. An office time zone will make it simpler to have synchronized breaks, meaning everyone is away from their work stations at the same time. For many sales-based companies, lunch breaks already occur at the same times, and productivity can be boosted by keeping this policy in place. Instead of break times taking place over the course of a couple hours, everyone is back to work at the same times and ready to collaborate.
(Near) Instant Communication
Communication is the key to a productive and supportive work environment. An office that emphasises communication is one that encourages collaboration and openness between colleagues at all levels. The ability to ask questions, seek clarification and listen to other opinions only improves the work completed by each individual employee. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the transition to remote work, communication problems were cited as a major issue by an astonishing 62% of office employees in one survey, and this number simply cannot be allowed to grow while working as part of a remote team. An office time zone ensures that every employee is working during the same time period, making it easier for quick communication. Employees don’t have to spend time wondering if their colleague has begun or ended their work day, and won’t hesitate to ask for their help or get their opinion as a result.
CONS
Different Time Zones Still Exist
As effective as an office time zone could be, the reality is that different time zones still exist and will present certain difficulties for employees and businesses. If employees are more than two or three time zones apart, the real time difference has an unavoidable impact. One of the greatest benefits of a virtual office is that it allows businesses to hire the best people for the job, regardless of their location. If a business wants to offer a position to someone on the other side of the world, but insists they work in the office time zones for them overnight, it greatly reduces the chances they would accept the job. If arbitrary structures prevent the most qualified people from joining the company, it raises the questions why these structures exist in the first place. An office time zone is only effective up to a certain point, when it may actually become a hindrance. If an office time zone is negatively affecting the work environment, there is no reason to put one into place.
Ignores Benefits of Flexible Scheduling
Each person has their own internal rhythm and schedule, which rigid work times do not accommodate. Some people are early risers, feeling their most energetic first thing in the morning, while others naturally sleep later and function at their peak later during the day. One of the strongest benefits of creating a virtual work environment is that it allows for flexible scheduling. When people can choose a flexible work schedule that better suits their natural rhythms and lifestyle, they have an improved work-life balance and produce better work. The office time zone has the same problem as the traditional office, a rigid time schedule. Some employees will be required to start their day earlier, at 7 AM or 8 AM, while others will have to end their day later, after 6 PM for instance. They simply may not be able to work at their best if an office time zone does not let them take advantage of a more flexible work schedule.
Limits Customer Services Hours
Ensuring that customers and clients stay happy and satisfied with products and services has to be a main priority for any business. When customers contact a business, they are expecting a quick, if not immediate, response. With a virtual office composed of employees working in different parts of the world, it provides more hours for customer service. In a virtual workplace with an office time zone, it places the same time limits on customer service. Instead of having a representative on goals for a majority of the time, it means the one-on-one client service is only available for the same 8 or 9 hours of the day. One recent study found that the average response time to a customer inquiry was 12 hours and 10 minutes. One simple way for companies to stand out in a crowded marketplace is to improve on this time, which having remote employees in different time zones would possibly allow them to do. For companies in sales and related fields, it does not make sense for them to intentionally limit themselves.
An office time zone is an interesting idea that has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. It can create a more unified work environment and encourage employees to continue to collaborate while working remotely. On the other hand, it also places an arbitrary schedule on employees that could be in many different locations and time zones, negating the advantages of an international team of remote workers.
For businesses that rely on collaboration and group work, an office time zone could be a good thing, while for companies based in sales, client interaction and customer service, it simply may not meet their needs.
As many different businesses adapt to remote work for the first time, there is of course going to be a period of trial and error. An office time zone is an idea worth exploring for many companies, as long as all employees are on board to try and know that they should voice their honest opinions if it starts to negatively affect their work. By being open to trying new ideas and adapting to meet realities, employees will be able to continue working together to successfully meet their goals.
