How to Work With People Overseas
Ensure that you and the remote worker are set up to achieve good lines of communication., Get the best technology tools available to you.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ensure that you and the remote worker are set up to achieve good lines of communication.
Consult your mutual manager to discuss some ideas on how to improve communication.
The following are guidelines that managers with overseas employees often follow:
Keep common office hours.
Email chains can take a lot longer than phone calls, so in order to ensure that you are able to talk to an overseas worker daily, adjust your office hours.
Ask your manager if you can come in later and stay later.
Perhaps, you can propose a compromise in hours, with the overseas worker adjusting their time toward yours by approximately 2 hours and you doing the same.
Plan to check in by phone once per day during busy, productive times and once per week in general.
The amount that you need to communicate with an overseas worker will depend highly upon the project.
When tensions are high, check in daily.
Choose the phone over email for important information.
You may feel as though phone conversations are time consuming; however, they are more essential for communication with remote workers than with office workers.
A remote worker may not have made a meeting or talked about something at the watercooler, so make the extra effort to update the worker by phone. -
Step 2: Get the best technology tools available to you.
Virtual work is easier because of the cost effectiveness of teleconferencing and video conferencing.
Consider these other technological tools.
Download an instant messaging program to your computers.
Services such as Google Chat, Adium or Trillian allow you to communicate in real time without video or phone conferencing.
Connect during shared office hours to share feedback.
Make sure to set yourself as invisible if you are away and set limits if it becomes distracting.
Get a web camera for web/video conferencing.
You can use a free service like Facetime, for Apple computers, or Skype.
Many professional companies will deploy a high quality video communication solution that is more secure & immersive than free solutions, and ensures the solution has services and support attached.
Talk to your employers to discuss video communication options to improve your remote connectivity.
Use a File Transfer Program (FTP).
Emails with large attachments can clog up email systems or get rejected from servers.
An FTP hosts a file for download from a remote location.
Companies may choose to have an FTP bundled with their website services for ease of use.
Detailed Guide
Consult your mutual manager to discuss some ideas on how to improve communication.
The following are guidelines that managers with overseas employees often follow:
Keep common office hours.
Email chains can take a lot longer than phone calls, so in order to ensure that you are able to talk to an overseas worker daily, adjust your office hours.
Ask your manager if you can come in later and stay later.
Perhaps, you can propose a compromise in hours, with the overseas worker adjusting their time toward yours by approximately 2 hours and you doing the same.
Plan to check in by phone once per day during busy, productive times and once per week in general.
The amount that you need to communicate with an overseas worker will depend highly upon the project.
When tensions are high, check in daily.
Choose the phone over email for important information.
You may feel as though phone conversations are time consuming; however, they are more essential for communication with remote workers than with office workers.
A remote worker may not have made a meeting or talked about something at the watercooler, so make the extra effort to update the worker by phone.
Virtual work is easier because of the cost effectiveness of teleconferencing and video conferencing.
Consider these other technological tools.
Download an instant messaging program to your computers.
Services such as Google Chat, Adium or Trillian allow you to communicate in real time without video or phone conferencing.
Connect during shared office hours to share feedback.
Make sure to set yourself as invisible if you are away and set limits if it becomes distracting.
Get a web camera for web/video conferencing.
You can use a free service like Facetime, for Apple computers, or Skype.
Many professional companies will deploy a high quality video communication solution that is more secure & immersive than free solutions, and ensures the solution has services and support attached.
Talk to your employers to discuss video communication options to improve your remote connectivity.
Use a File Transfer Program (FTP).
Emails with large attachments can clog up email systems or get rejected from servers.
An FTP hosts a file for download from a remote location.
Companies may choose to have an FTP bundled with their website services for ease of use.
About the Author
Joyce Gomez
A passionate writer with expertise in home improvement topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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