As businesses continue to expand internationally, it’s more important than ever to find simple ways to connect with your team across borders. However, creating a global company culture comes with challenges because of different time zones and working hours.
For a business based in London, as they start their workday, a remote colleague in Australia may be finishing theirs. Without a strategic approach to unify company culture, businesses can run into issues with communication, collaboration, and employee engagement before many working days have even begun.
Working across multiple time zones, however, does not mean that employees have to feel disconnected. With an effective global HR process and thoughtful communication between teams, businesses can create a company culture that connects each employee, regardless of location.
Why Is Company Culture Important For Global Teams?
Company culture refers to the shared values, expectations, behaviours, and ways of working that shape a business. For businesses with international employees, maintaining a consistent culture can help team members understand what the organisation stands for and how they can contribute to wider goals.
However, working with a global workforce can bring cultural and language difficulties that must be overcome for both the business and employees to run smoothly.
Each country has different expectations around communication, working hours, holidays, and workplace relationships. This means that for a successful global company culture, each employee should be able to work in their preferred way, establishing shared values and expectations while still allowing flexibility for local differences.
By striking this balance, international employees are more likely to feel part of the team without feeling that their location and working hours are being overlooked.
To solve international company culture issues, here are a few easy solutions to follow:
- Create a clear set of shared values:
Employees should understand what the business stands for. Values such as collaboration, innovation, respect, transparency and customer service should all provide a common foundation for employees, regardless of where they work.
However, businesses should also show how these values influence everyday decisions, employee relationships, and overall working practices. For example, if collaboration is a main priority value for a business, it should consider how employees in different time zones can still collaborate effectively, even when they can’t work simultaneously with the rest of the team.
- Build communication around different time zones:
Communication is arguably the most important factor for international employees in different time zones. If meetings are scheduled around the headquarters’ working hours, global employees can feel excluded.
Expecting employees to attend meetings early in the morning, late at night, or, in some cases, outside their working hours to accommodate the majority of the team can affect their engagement and well-being within the company.
Instead, businesses should establish a solid communication practice which takes into account varying working hours, such as:
- Rotating meeting times between regions.
- Recording important information/meetings for any employees who cannot attend.
- Clearly communicating deadlines in each specific time zone.
- Using simple communication techniques where possible, such as email, rather than unregulated phone calls.
- Avoiding mandatory attendance for meetings.
Rather than expecting international employees to respond immediately, using communication methods such as email allows them to respond during their working hours and helps teams collaborate without requiring simultaneous online presence.
- Make inclusion a business priority:
A unified company should prioritise each employee, regardless of their location. They should consider whether international employees have the same opportunities to contribute and support the business, communicate with leadership, or participate in company discussions, rather than relying on employees who are currently in-house.
For example, if important decisions are regularly made in meetings that global employees cannot attend, they may begin to feel disconnected from the team. Leaders should therefore make a conscious effort to include their perspectives and ensure they are regularly involved in meetings where possible.
This could involve contributing their perspectives to projects, changing meeting times to accommodate their preferred schedule, or ensuring company-wide announcements are accessible to every team member.
Utilising a strong global HR policy can help to regulate and recognise cultural differences and support how employees communicate. A specialist HR support service can help businesses to understand these differences and find simple ways to support employees across their wider workforce.
- Ensure that communication is recognised:
While technology makes it incredibly easy to connect with team members across the globe, it doesn’t automatically mean colleagues will form a connection.
Businesses must provide opportunities for employees to get to know one another outside their immediate teams, such as virtual social events or informal online communication. By creating opportunities for international employees to relax and feel a part of the team, they will be much more likely to open up to their colleagues.
However, time zones should still be a main consideration when organising these activities, such as holding multiple events or sessions at different times of the day, or creating alternative ways for people to participate.
As each country showcases different cultural backgrounds, businesses can also encourage acknowledgement of local holidays and events, and provide opportunities for all employees to celebrate and support a range of significant moments to help employees feel welcomed.
Small initiatives that support multiple employees can make a huge difference and help ensure all team members feel welcome.
- Ensure HR practices support cultural moments:
Similarly, company culture is often shaped by simple, everyday HR practices, just as much as social events and team meetings. Payroll, benefits, performance management, and employee relations can all shape how an employee experiences a business and its values.
For international businesses, these areas are incredibly important as they can vary widely across borders. Working with a specialist global payroll and global HR provider can help businesses navigate differences and maintain consistent principles for all staff. This can include local employment laws, employee relations, benefits, and compliance, helping businesses manage their employees while staying mindful of country-specific requirements.
- Standardise processes:
One of the most effective ways to create a consistent company culture is to standardise processes while allowing local flexibility. In simple terms, businesses may have consistent expectations around onboarding and performance management; however, how these processes are carried out may need to change depending on local employment laws and regulations.
For example, the entire onboarding framework must adapt to the laws of each country, including benefits and compensation, working hours, and HR processes.
Specialised global HR specialists can simplify this process and highlight the need to balance local requirements with global HR frameworks. We can provide country-specific knowledge and support throughout the process and help create a consistent business management approach that works for all employees.
- Make onboarding a consistent process for all employees:
When a business hires an international employee, onboarding should introduce them to the business’ values and realities, as well as:
- Any information on communication styles and collaboration practices.
- Clear guidance on working across time zones.
- Information on local HR policies.
- Information on provided benefits.
- Access to the same essential resources as all in-house employees.
- Introductions to colleagues across all regions.
Similarly, onboarding should reflect local requirements, such as employment agreements or other HR processes needed for the business to comply with the employee’s country of employment guidelines.
Building A Consistent Culture Across A Global Workforce
Unifying a company culture across varying time zones can require more than occasional video meetings. For successful cross-border culture collaboration, businesses must create shared values, inclusive communication styles, and consistent HR practices, while also recognising cultural and local legal differences.
For a business actively growing into an international organisation, this balance can be challenging and create a variety of issues to understand. At PeoplePay Global, we provide tailored support for HR and global payroll practices, creating practical solutions for navigating each hurdle in the international hiring process.
Using a global HR specialist provides local, up-to-date information needed to manage local employment requirements, while also building a consistent approach for all international employees.
With the correct approach and values as standard, different time zones will no longer be a hurdle to navigate. By combining clear structures with flexible support, international employees can benefit from effective global HR management that supports them every step of the way.
To learn more, contact us today and start your international business expansion with confidence.