Guide

Running an offshore team across time zones: a practical guide for agencies

By the AlignHour team at CelaVox · 22 October 2026 · 7 min read

Many US, UK and European agencies now work with designers, developers and support staff in Pakistan, India, the Philippines or Latin America. The talent is excellent; the hard part is the clock. These habits keep the work moving without burning anyone out.

1. Agree on a small, fixed overlap

You don't need eight shared hours. Two or three reliable hours a day are enough for questions, reviews and calls. Pick the window together and write it down in both time zones, for example "14:00–17:00 London = 18:00–21:00 Karachi in winter". Re-check it when either country changes its clocks.

2. Hand work over in writing

• End each day with a short written handover: what's done, what's blocked, what's next.
• Keep decisions in one place (your project tool), not spread across chat threads.
• Record short screen videos for anything visual. They save a meeting.

3. Make meeting times fair

If every meeting suits head office, the offshore team ends up working nights. For recurring meetings, alternate between two times so the inconvenience is shared, or keep the weekly all-hands inside the agreed overlap. Look at each person's local time before you send an invite, not just your own.

4. Bring the right offshore people into client calls

Clients value hearing directly from the designer or developer doing the work. When you invite your own team to a client meeting:

• Plan the time on the client's clock first, then check it's reasonable for your team.
• Send one calendar invite to everyone, so each person sees it in their own local time.
• Keep your team list separate from the client's contacts, so you don't mix them up next time.

5. Respect local holidays

Each country has its own public holidays, and some, like Eid, move every year with the moon. Ask your team to share their holiday dates for the year and add them to a shared calendar before you plan deadlines or client presentations.

6. Watch the daylight-saving weeks

Pakistan, India and the Philippines don't change their clocks, but the US, the UK and Europe do. Your overlap window moves by an hour twice a year. See the 2027 dates.

A simple weekly rhythm