Balancing Time Zones: Time zone compatibility with the African talent pool seeking fully remote work
In the dynamic landscape of today's interconnected global business environment, organizations are reaching across borders, opening doors to collaboration with professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds. One region that is increasingly taking center stage in the global workforce is Africa.
Seizing Remote Work Opportunities
The GitHub 2021 Remote Work Report sheds light on a notable trend—companies in the US and UK are becoming more open to the idea of employees working 100% remotely and at flexible hours. This shift presents a significant opportunity for African professionals to secure positions that not only offer increased flexibility but also contribute to heightened productivity, efficiency, and employee morale.
According to the same report, remote workers identify the top three benefits to employers as increased productivity (42%), increased efficiency (38%), and improved employee morale (31%). These findings underscore the tangible advantages that remote work can bring to businesses globally [1].
Rising Demand for Remote Work
The GitHub report also reveals that a substantial 52% of professionals would willingly leave a co-located company for a remote role, with an additional 26% actively seeking new remote opportunities if the option were no longer available. This growing demand for remote work, coupled with the alignment of time zones between the EU, NA, and Africa, creates a mutually beneficial scenario for employers and Africa's talented workforce.
Navigating the Time Zone Landscape
Africa's diverse geography encompasses multiple time zones, ranging from GMT in the West to GMT+3 in the East. For employers seeking to build or expand their global remote workforce, understanding these time zone variations is imperative. Time zone compatibility serves as the foundation for fostering effective and streamlined interactions between team members and clients.
For instance, a 9 am - 5 pm EST workday in New York or Toronto aligns with 2 pm - 10 pm in Lagos, Nigeria, resulting in a significant 5-hour overlap. Conversely, despite being a popular destination for English-speaking professional talent, The Philippines presents a 0-hour workday overlap due to a 13-hour time difference with the aforementioned cities.
Similarly, a 9 am - 5 pm GMT workday in London or Dublin corresponds to 8 am - 4 pm in Lagos, Nigeria, providing a substantial 7-hour overlap. In contrast, The Philippines experiences a 0-hour workday overlap, given the 8-hour time difference.
Educational Trends and the Growing Talent Pool
About 5% of the 8.1 million tertiary students in Africa have crossed borders, as noted by Campus France, compared to the global average of 2.4%. This growing trend is supported by data from the National Science Foundation, indicating that a significant number of foreign-born noncitizen recipients of U.S. science and engineering doctorates express a desire to stay in the U.S.
With an increasing influx of Africans pursuing tertiary education in Western countries, the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs reports a 29.5% growth in the number of students from Sub-Saharan Africa over the past five years. This surge contributes to a burgeoning pool of Western-exposed, English-speaking Africans with compatible time zones, creating fertile ground for collaboration with both the US and the EU.
In conclusion, as the global workforce continues to evolve, Africa's role becomes increasingly pivotal. By recognizing and leveraging the advantages of time zone compatibility, businesses can tap into the vast potential of Africa's remote workforce, fostering collaboration that knows no geographical boundaries.
Sources Cited.
