How to Schedule a Meeting Across Time Zones

Scheduling a meeting across time zones looks simple until you try it. A call that fits New York at 10 AM can land at 11 PM in Singapore. The method below works for teams of any size, and it avoids the back-and-forth of guessing.

Start with the time that owns the meeting

Choose the city where the meeting is hosted, or where the person who needs the most from the call is based. Its time becomes the reference. Write the time in that city first, including the date, because the same clock time can fall on different calendar days elsewhere.

Check working hours for every attendee

Most teams define working hours as 9 AM to 5 PM local time. A useful meeting sits inside that window for as many people as possible. Mark each city’s window on a timeline and look for overlaps. Where there is no overlap, look for the smallest group that is outside working hours.

Early and late hours are not the same as night. A 7 AM call for someone in Sydney is harder than an 8 AM call, but it is far easier than 2 AM. Keep that difference in mind when you choose.

Rotate the inconvenient slots

If a meeting must happen outside someone’s working hours, do not always choose the same person. Keep a simple record of who joined early or late in the last few meetings. Rotating the slot each month spreads the cost across the team.

Confirm the date and the offset

Time zones are not fixed. Some regions change their clocks for daylight saving, and they do so on different dates. A meeting booked in March may be an hour off for a few weeks. Before you send the invite, check that every city’s offset is correct for the meeting date, not just today.

Send one invite with every time

A single invitation that lists the time in each city removes most confusion. Include the day offset, such as “+1 day” when a city is on the next calendar day. Attach a calendar file so that every attendee’s calendar converts the time automatically.

Common mistakes

• Using a single offset for a whole year, which breaks during daylight saving changes.
• Writing a time without a city or time zone name.
• Forgetting that a date can differ between cities.
• Booking the same person at the edge of their day every week.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best hour for a global team? There is often no single best hour. The planner shows the overlap for your cities, and the best compromise is usually an hour that is early or late for one group, not night for anyone.

Should I use my own time zone or the attendees’? Use the time zone of the host or the owner, then show the time in every city in the invite.

Can calendar software handle this for me? Most calendar apps convert times automatically once the invite has the correct zone. Share the time in the invite text too, so people who do not use calendars can still find it.

Use the meeting planner to compare cities, or read about daylight saving and recurring meetings.