How to Manage a Team While Being in a Foreign Country
Make Sure to Accommodate Everyone.
As the manager of a worldwide team, you must be conscious of the fact that your people will be in different time zones. This requires much more planning than you had to do when your team was in one building. For your international team, you will need to know when each member is available. You may discover that you must schedule your meetings at unusual times because these will be the only times that everyone will be available.
If you fail to ensure that employees outside of your time zone are invited to your meetings, they will feel unappreciated and will not engage with your team as often as you need them. Scheduling a time when everyone can attend increases productivity and collaboration.
Be Mindful of Different Time Zones.
Different time zones affect your business in another way as well. Communication cannot always be as immediate as when two people live in the same time zone. Plan your day by engaging with people in time zones ahead of yours first. This ensures that you have time to engage with these individuals before their day is over. You can also take advantage of meeting platforms that give each person the opportunity to respond to others when the time is convenient for them.
Make Immediate Conversation Possible.
You and your co-workers can communicate in real time. When you are in the office together, you can go to the person you need to speak to and address your issues quickly. In a remote atmosphere, you can choose Skype or a meeting platform, but you can also engage in immediate discussions.
Ask your remote employees if it is all right for you to call them. Make sure that they know that they can contact you at a later time if they are in the middle of something important. This ensures that your employees and co-workers know that they can maintain close contact with you at all times.
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How to Work in a Different Country While You Travel
This offers you great advantages. For example, you can travel the world at times when most people are not vacationing, and you will be able to keep up with your work at the same time. When you are ready to see the sights, you can do so at any time and know that you will be receiving your salary while you do it.
Although traveling while you are working is a great lifestyle, you do have to be concerned about a few things. For example, working as an independent contractor or a business owner is the best way to make this happen. Otherwise, you need your boss and/or clients to agree to your lifestyle change.
You also must be a highly self-disciplined person. Foreign countries offer too many new things to distract you, and you may neglect your work if you do not prioritize it each day. If you spend too much time exploring the sights around you and not enough time working on your projects, you can end up cramming into the late evening hours to get a project done before your deadline. This will not do anything for your blood pressure and will not allow the environment to let you live peacefully. Instead, make time to do your work first and then take time to play in the sun.
Before You Take a Trip, How Do You Ease the Strain On Your Business Team?
Taking a vacation requires a lot of trip planning, but you are aware of this, so you can set aside the three weeks or so that it takes to complete all of your preparations. Take this time to do the following:
Fill your “to-do” list with tasks you must complete before leaving for your vacation.
Let your colleagues know what they need to know about the projects in which they are involved so that they know exactly what they need to do while you are on vacation. Let them know that they will not be able to contact you.
Select someone to be in charge of your clients and/or projects. Know how you want your colleagues to handle emergencies while you are away.
Create an email that will let people know when you will be out of the office and when you will return.
Inform your clients or vendors that you are going to take a vacation, and give them the name of the person they can contact in your absence.
The first day you return to the office, you must schedule a meeting with yourself. This is when you will return your phone calls, write emails and connect with your colleagues again.
Taking these preparations makes it so that you can leave your work at the office and enjoy your well-deserved vacation time. Have a good trip!
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Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Italy Luxury Tours
