With the rise of remote work, international hiring is now something that many companies – not just large enterprises – can leverage. Specifically, small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) can also hire internationally to open up new markets and access the pool of skilled workers abroad.
Managing global teams, however, can be tricky. Here, we break down some best practices for helping distributed teams work together effectively. Ultimately, global employment means remote work. So businesses should prioritize remote-first practices into their overall strategy.
Align on values
The first step is often to understand what remote workers value, so you can decide whether they’ll be a fit for your business. We’ve teamed up with our partner Remote, an expert in global HR, to take a look. Data from Remote shows that remote employees value flexibility, with 57% reporting it’s even more important than compensation. According to the report, flexible work and the ability to work remotely are two of the top five incentives for workers considering a new role. This means that global workers might prioritize autonomy and flexibility in how and when they complete their work.
Collaborate effectively across time zones
Remote work – especially with teams across the globe – creates special challenges, like managing time zones, language proficiency, and collective decision making.
Here are a few points to keep in mind.
Transparency. Remote work often depends on accurate and effective documentation and a business culture of transparency. When you’re working in a global team, transparent documentation is especially important, because it allows people working in different time zones to access the most up to date information. That way, they have the data they need to push projects forward while their teammates across the world are ending their workday.
This means having conversations and sharing documents in open or small-group forums. Programs like Slack channels and Notion documents are valuable for documenting discussions, answering questions, and documenting decisions.
Asynchronous working environments. When it comes to working across time zones, there are limitations in scheduling and real-time collaboration.
Focusing on an asynchronous (async) work culture is a strategic investment for SMBs with a distributed workforce. As opposed to synchronous work, where multiple people work together in real -time, async work emphasizes working independently on your own time. The three tenets of async work are:
- Break projects into smaller tasks that can be handled independently. This method reduces approval processes that create bottlenecks in productivity, and allows more work to be completed by different people at the same time.
- Create standards for clear written communication. Async work relies on exchanging information via email, messaging platforms, and shared documents. Well-organized and clear documentation is essential and should be based on company-wide standards.
- Culture of autonomy. Leaders in an async work culture empower their team to act instead of waiting for direction. Workers rely on their best judgment to make quick and effective decisions.
Fewer meetings. Reducing real-time communication can be necessary to create a successful remote-work culture. To do this, project management tools, with structured spaces for documentation and status tracking, become important ways for teams to align. In this way, remote work culture can provide autonomy and empowerment to employees, while maximizing their productivity and emphasizing results.
Plus, fewer real-time meetings can create clarity for multilingual teams. Prioritizing written communication allows time for interpreting and responding to communication in a different language or language teammates are less familiar with.
Build cultural intelligence.
It goes without saying that cultural intelligence is key. Different countries and cultures have different customs, expectations, sensitivities, and perspectives. Body language, words, phrases, and gestures can have a positive connotation in one culture, but mean something completely different in another culture. For example, hand gestures like giving “thumbs up” may mean “good” in the US, but are considered offensive in other countries.
The potential for misinterpretation of these nuances from culture to culture is significant, so sensitivity to these differences is something your business will have to consider when training your teams.
That said, the diversity of viewpoints, expansion of working hours at your business, and access to new talent pools can make these investments worth it.
Going global? Gusto can help.
If you’re thinking about adding an international teammate, Gusto Global can help. Gusto Global is a suite of tools that enables you to hire, pay, and manage your international team – from contractors to employees — all from Gusto.
