How to Schedule Meetings Across Time Zones Without Anyone Joining at 3 a.m.

Almost everyone who works across borders has joined a "9 a.m." call that turned out to be 3 a.m. for someone. The cause is rarely carelessness. It is usually ambiguity, daylight saving changes, or not knowing how little of the working day two cities actually share. This guide covers the habits that prevent most mistakes, and it includes a table of real overlaps.

Always name the city, not the abbreviation

Time zone abbreviations are not unique. CST can mean Central Standard Time in North America, China Standard Time or Cuba Standard Time. IST can be India Standard Time, Israel Standard Time or Irish Standard Time. BST usually means British Summer Time but can also mean Bangladesh Standard Time. Two people can both be sure they are right and still be hours apart.

Write times with a city instead: "Tuesday 14:00 London time (09:00 New York)". Use the 24-hour clock to avoid AM and PM mistakes, and include the date, because the date itself can differ. When it is Tuesday evening in New York it is already Wednesday morning in Tokyo.

Decide what a recurring meeting is anchored to

A weekly meeting is stored by a calendar in some time zone, and that choice matters twice a year. If the meeting is fixed to London time, it will shift by an hour for New York attendees during the weeks when the US and Europe are on different schedules. If it is fixed to UTC, it will shift for everyone who observes daylight saving. Neither is wrong, but you should choose deliberately and tell the team which one applies.

The weeks to watch in 2027 are 14 to 27 March and 31 October to 6 November, when the US and Europe are out of step. Our guide to daylight saving dates in 2026 and 2027 lists them all.

Know your real overlap

The table shows how many hours of a normal 09:00 to 17:00 workday two cities share. It uses 19 January and 20 July 2027, so it reflects winter and summer clocks.

Two things stand out. First, many popular pairs have no shared working hours at all, so someone has to start early or finish late. London and Tokyo, or New York and Sydney, will never overlap in a normal day. Second, the gap weeks can help: while New York is 4 hours behind London instead of 5, the two cities share 4 hours instead of 3.

Share the inconvenience fairly

When there is no good slot, the worst habit is to give the same team the early morning or late-night call every time. Rotate the awkward times, and say openly that you are doing it. A simple rule works well: if a meeting is outside someone's normal hours, it should be recorded, have a written agenda, and not repeat at that time more than once a month.

For teams across Asia, Europe and the Americas, the "follow the sun" model avoids live meetings where possible. One region writes a clear handover at the end of its day, and the next region picks it up. It needs discipline, but it respects everyone's sleep.

Remember that weeks differ too

Not every country works Monday to Friday. Saudi Arabia, for example, works Sunday to Thursday, so a Friday call with Riyadh is on their weekend. Public holidays rarely match either. Check both calendars before you propose a date, especially around religious and national holidays.

A checklist you can reuse

1. Write the time with a city name, the date and a 24-hour clock.
2. Put each attendee's local time in the invitation, not just yours.
3. Check the overlap before you propose, using the table above or the city pages.
4. Avoid the weeks when your regions change their clocks on different days, or double-check them.
5. Rotate unpopular times, and record meetings that fall outside normal hours.
6. Confirm weekends and public holidays in every location.

To see the current time and the 2027 gaps for any city, open its page, for example London, New York, Singapore or Sydney.