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We have team members across multiple time zones. Making this work well requires intentional defaults — not everyone online at the same time.

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Async-first

Async-first means the default expectation is that people will respond when they’re working, not immediately. A message in Slack is not an interruption that needs an instant reply. If something is genuinely urgent and time-sensitive, call it out explicitly (“need this by EOD PT”) or ping directly with context.

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Core overlap hours

Teams establish a window of overlap hours where synchronous meetings and real-time collaboration are expected. Check with your manager for your team’s current overlap window. Outside those hours, async is the default.

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Scheduling meetings

  • Share your working hours in your calendar and Slack status.
  • Use a scheduling tool (e.g., Calendly) or share multiple options across time zones.
  • Rotate meeting times if recurring meetings are inconvenient for some attendees — don’t consistently schedule at times that fall outside someone’s working hours.
  • Record video meetings when possible so people who can’t attend can catch up.

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Communication expectations

Do not set an expectation of faster response for non-urgent messages. If something is time-sensitive, say so.

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Out-of-office and availability

Update your Slack status when you’re heads-down, out sick, or on vacation. Use your calendar out-of-office feature for absences over a day. This is especially important in a distributed team — if you’re heads-down and won’t respond for a few hours, a quick status update prevents colleagues from wondering if something’s wrong.

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Working hours flexibility

We don’t require fixed 9–5 hours. You’re responsible for meeting your commitments and being available during your team’s overlap window. How you structure the rest of your day is up to you.
Last modified on June 10, 2026