Working across time zones: a practical guide for remote teams
Updated 2026-09-19
A team spread across time zones does not need to be in sync all day. It needs a small shared window, clear habits for the rest of the time, and a way to avoid mixing up times.
Find the overlap first
Start by working out which hours every person is working, then find the window they share. For a team between London and New York that is roughly three hours; between London and Singapore it is far smaller. Whatever it is, protect it for the things that really need a live conversation, and do not fill it with updates that could be written down.
Write times so they cannot be misread
Always include the time zone or the city with a time, and use the 24-hour clock. "Thursday 15:00 London" cannot be read two ways. "3pm Thursday" can. If your team spans several zones, put the invite time in UTC as well, or link to a converter set to the right date.
Default to asynchronous
Write updates, questions and decisions so that someone in another zone can act on them without waiting for a call. A clear written summary saves everyone a slot in the shared window, and lets people who were asleep catch up when they start their day.
Share the inconvenient hours
If the only shared window is early for one team and late for another, rotate who takes it. A team where one office always takes the 07:00 or 21:00 call stops being a team. Record the call or keep notes so that anyone who could not attend can follow up.
Plan for daylight saving changes
Countries change their clocks on different dates, and some never do, so the gap between two teams can shift by an hour for a few weeks a year. Recurring meetings should be checked around those weeks. Europe and the US, for example, are out of step for two to three weeks in spring and one week in autumn.
Check the real times
Use a converter for the actual date of the meeting, not the gap you remember. The pages below cover some of the most common team pairings.