The United States spans six time zones, and American remote teams increasingly collaborate with colleagues in Europe, Asia and beyond. Managing time zones is one of the most persistent challenges of distributed work — get it wrong and you schedule meetings at midnight, miss deadlines or leave team members out of critical discussions. In this guide, we cover everything US remote workers need to know about time zone management.
US Time Zones Explained
The contiguous United States spans four time zones:
Eastern Time (ET): UTC-5 (standard) / UTC-4 (daylight). Covers New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia. Home to about half the US population.
Central Time (CT): UTC-6 / UTC-5. Covers Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Minneapolis. One hour behind Eastern.
Mountain Time (MT): UTC-7 / UTC-6. Covers Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque. Two hours behind Eastern. Note: most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Pacific Time (PT): UTC-8 / UTC-7. Covers Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland. Three hours behind Eastern.
Alaska (UTC-9 / UTC-8) and Hawaii (UTC-10, no DST) have their own time zones. For a team with members in New York and Honolulu, the time difference is 5 hours — when it is 9 AM in New York, it is 4 AM in Honolulu.
Challenges of Multi-Zone Teams
Scheduling meetings: Finding a time that works for everyone becomes harder as the time zone spread increases. A team spanning ET to PT has a 3-hour offset, which is manageable. A team spanning ET to HST has a 5-hour offset, which is challenging. A team spanning PT to Central Europe has a 9-hour offset, which requires careful planning.
Daylight Saving Time: The US and Europe change clocks on different dates. The US springs forward on the second Sunday in March; Europe springs forward on the last Sunday in March. For 2-3 weeks each spring and fall, the time difference between US and Europe shifts by one hour. This causes missed meetings if not accounted for.
Communication delays: When a team member in San Francisco sends a message at 5 PM PT, a colleague in London receives it at 1 AM — they will not see it until the next morning. This creates a 16+ hour communication cycle for non-urgent matters.
Unequal burden: In teams spanning many time zones, some members inevitably need to take early morning or late evening calls. If the same people always bear this burden, it creates resentment. Rotate meeting times to share the inconvenience.
Best Practices for Scheduling
Identify overlap hours. Find the hours when all team members are available. For US-only teams (ET to PT), the overlap is 9 AM PT to 6 PM ET — a generous 9-hour window. For US-Europe teams, the overlap is typically 9 AM ET to 1 PM ET (2 PM to 6 PM GMT) — a 4-hour window. Schedule synchronous activities during overlap hours.
Default to asynchronous. Reserve meetings for discussions that genuinely require real-time interaction (brainstorming, complex decisions, sensitive topics). Use asynchronous communication (Slack, email, recorded video) for everything else.
Rotate meeting times. If some team members always need to take calls outside their normal hours, rotate the meeting time so the burden is shared. A weekly meeting at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET one week and 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET the next week distributes the inconvenience.
Always specify the time zone. When scheduling, always include the time zone: "Meeting at 2 PM ET" not "Meeting at 2 PM." Better yet, include multiple zones: "Meeting at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT / 7 PM GMT."
Use scheduling tools. Use the Time Zone Converter to find meeting times that work for all participants. The World Clock provides a quick reference for the current time in major cities.
Finding Overlap Hours
For US remote teams, the overlap windows are:
ET to PT (US only): 9 AM to 6 PM ET (6 AM to 3 PM PT). A generous 9-hour window. Most meetings can be scheduled within normal business hours for all participants.
ET to Western Europe (GMT/CET): 9 AM to 1 PM ET (2 PM to 6 PM GMT / 3 PM to 7 PM CET). A 4-hour window. Schedule meetings in late morning ET.
PT to Western Europe: 9 AM to 12 PM PT (6 PM to 9 PM CET). A 3-hour window that is evening in Europe — not ideal but workable for weekly check-ins.
US to India (IST): Very limited overlap. 8 AM ET / 6:30 PM IST or 10 PM ET / 8:30 AM IST. Most teams use a single daily handoff meeting and rely on asynchronous communication.
US to East Asia (JST/SGT): Minimal overlap. Early morning US time aligns with evening Asia time. A 7 AM ET / 8 PM JST meeting is a common compromise.
Working with International Teams
For US teams working with international colleagues, the key is to establish clear communication norms:
Document everything. When team members cannot attend meetings due to time zones, document the discussion and decisions. Share meeting notes, recordings and action items so everyone stays informed regardless of attendance.
Use a shared calendar. Maintain a team calendar with all members' time zones. Mark availability, holidays and meeting times. This prevents scheduling conflicts and helps everyone plan their day.
Respect local holidays. US holidays (Thanksgiving, July 4) are not holidays in other countries, and vice versa. Track all team members' holidays and plan coverage accordingly.
Be explicit about response time expectations. When sending a message to a colleague in a different time zone, set clear expectations: "No rush — respond when you are back online tomorrow." This reduces anxiety and prevents the feeling of always being "on call."
Using a Time Zone Converter
The Time Zone Converter from Automarkly lets you compare the current time across multiple cities side by side. Enter your city and your colleagues' cities, and the tool shows the time in each location. This makes it easy to identify overlap hours and find meeting times that work for everyone.
The World Clock provides a live view of the current time in major cities. Keep it open in a browser tab for quick reference when planning communications across time zones.
For US remote teams, effective time zone management is the difference between a smooth, productive distributed workflow and a chaotic, frustrating one. Bookmark the time zone tools, establish clear communication norms and respect your colleagues' time — wherever they are.