Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 42
A simple playbook you can steal
If you want a straightforward way to
start tomorrow, try this:
1. Agree your overlap hours and
protect them.
2. Set async norms: written briefs,
decision windows, documented
outcomes.
3. Rotate the tough meeting times
fairly.
4. Reduce meetings by requiring an
agenda and outcome owner.
5. Make wellbeing explicit: encourage
boundaries and normalise delayed
responses.
Because the goal is not to become a
24 hour worker. The goal is to build
a 24 hour capability, without turning
people into night shift zombies.
The bottom line
Don’t forget the human layer
Time zones can quietly erode
connection. You get task
updates but lose the small
moments that build trust.
Make space for lightweight
connection that does not
require everyone live at once:
• Short intro videos for new
starters
• A “week in review” post
where people share wins and
lessons
• Optional social channels that
do not pressure participation
If you do use live time for
connection, keep it purposeful
and short. Nobody needs a
forced virtual party at 10 pm.
Working across time zones is not
just a scheduling challenge. It is
an operating model. When teams
design for async, clarity, and fairness,
time zones become a genuine
advantage. When they do not,
they become a slow creep into late
nights, fragmented days, and burnt
out brains.
And if you ever need a reminder,
keep this one handy: if your calendar
regularly asks you to attend
meetings at hours you would not
answer the door, your system needs
adjusting, not your sleep.
If you tell me the key regions
you are balancing (for example
Australia, UK, US), I can suggest
a realistic overlap window and a
simple rotating meeting roster that
avoids the worst hours.
