Globally Speaking

When co-workers are separated by eight or more time zones, it's possible to achieve something like a double shift without overtime or exhaustion. While we were writing these articles, for example, David could email a draft at 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, and it would arrive in Martin's inbox around 8 am West Indonesia Time just as his work day was beginning.

There are other collaborative tricks for working across time zones. Many people can log on to their office email accounts from home and read urgent messages in the evening. If you work in, say, the Mountain time zone of North America, you can send a message to Europe in the early afternoon and it will be received before your recipient's bedtime. Conversely, if you are on assignment in Bangalore, you can send email before your bedtime and your colleague in Boise can read it during a mid-morning coffee break.