With the worldwide shift to remote work, already global organizations are managing increasingly distributed workforces. Employees who used to work in a central location are now working across time zones in incredibly different work environments and with new, unfamiliar schedules that blur work and life.
One way that Sift is currently connecting distributed workforces is through our deep, customizable profiles. Our user profiles are a one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about your colleagues. One thing that users leverage to connect with their colleagues is to see which office they’re located in.
From there, one could guess the time zone a colleague is working in, but WFH further complicates that with working parents needing to take time out of their days to babysit, pet parents needing to distract their increasingly needy pets, or solo team members needing to go out and grocery shop to avoid busy hours. COVID work schedules are a new beast. An office location doesn’t necessarily indicate a time zone anymore. And a time zone doesn’t mean regular work hours. So, how do you know when someone is working so that you can get in touch with them to tap them for their knowledge, skills, and expertise?
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Why did we build Time Zone and Working Hours?
Time Zone and Working Hours adds a layer of depth to employee profiles by adding even greater clarity to your organization. This feature breaks down barriers of newly distributed workforces and teams that need to adjust to the different work patterns of their colleagues. No more wondering: “Is this person working right now? Can I ping them about a question I have?”
You might have tools like Outlook Calendar that show the time zone for someone you’re trying to book a meeting with, or Slack which has a native timezone feature, but otherwise that visibility isn’t there. But what if you’re already looking for someone and just need to make sure they’re working? You just need to consult their Sift Profile.
This is a perfect capability for everyone, but especially for any team leader who wants to find time to interface with their direct reports or potentially a project manager who’s heading a project with an international team. Find out more about how leaders in different functional areas use Sift today
So how do you use Time Zone and Working Hours?
It’s pretty simple. Here are four steps:
Go to your Sift Profile
Enable Time Zone and select from the dropdown menu
Enable Working Hours and specify your days and hours
Press save
For admins
You can set a default Time Zone or Working Hours for your team if you don’t have variation
Or you can turn off the feature if it’s not needed
For individuals
Even with a default Time Zone and Working Hours, you can set personal ones
For both
When you visit someone’s profile and they are currently outside of their working hours, Sift will give you a warning.
We’re excited for you to start using Time Zone and Working Hours to better connect and collaborate with your teams. Happy Sifting!
Want to learn more about how Time Zone and Working Hours fit into our user profiles? Learn more about our Profile feature.
