Time Zones Aren’t Why Remote Teams Fail

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I once heard a founder say:

"I’d love to hire overseas, but the time zones just won’t work."

This is one of the most common objections I hear.

And it sounds logical, until you actually look at how international professionals structure their workdays.

Latin America = Same Time Zones as the Eastern U.S.

If you’re hiring in Colombia, Mexico, or Argentina, you’re basically hiring in Eastern U.S. zones.

• Colombia (Bogotá): 1 hour behind EST

• Mexico City: 2 hours behind EST

• Argentina (Buenos Aires): 1–2 hours ahead of EST

That means a Colombian SDR or Mexican account manager is working hours so close to Eastern time zones that there’s no real issue.

Eastern Europe = U.S. Hours by Default

Here’s the part most founders miss: professionals in Serbia, Romania, and Macedonia who work with U.S. companies don’t keep a strict 9-5 local schedule. 

They shift their day to match U.S. hours. 

A Serbian account manager might work 3 PM – 11 PM local time. That lines up perfectly with a 9 AM – 5 PM Eastern schedule.

• Serbia: 6 hours ahead of EST

• Romania: 7 hours ahead of EST

• Macedonia: 6 hours ahead of EST

South Africa = Same Story

South African professionals are equally used to working U.S. hours. Many prefer the later start.

• South Africa: 6 hours ahead of EST

• For Central teams: 7 hours ahead CST

• For West Coast teams: 8 hours of overlap PST

All sustainable.

How We Make It Work Long-Term

Here’s the part most international hiring advice skips: keeping people aligned over months and years. 

Here’s how we set it up with our teams:

We set the baseline. We tell new hires upfront: you’ll need to be on U.S. Eastern time. This sets clear expectations from day one.

We allow flexibility at the edges. If they want to start early and just stay responsive on Slack in the later hours, that’s fine if they want to block out an occasional evening for family or friends, all good as long as it’s communicated.

We discourage async, at least at first. I can’t emphasize this enough. Starting your overseas hiring journey with a “flexible async” approach is a recipe for chaos. When something breaks, the buck has to stop somewhere. 

If your team is offline, you end up pulling late-night sprints. Much better to have your staff in your time zone from the start. Once trust and systems are established, you can figure out adjusted arrangements that work for both sides.

We keep it sustainable. Most of my overseas hires are wrapping up by 11 PM local time, which isn’t too late. That’s way more sustainable than hiring in India or the Philippines, where being online during U.S. hours means working at 2 AM.

The Bottom Line

Time zones aren’t a problem if you handle them the right way.

LATAM runs naturally on U.S. hours. Eastern Europe and South Africa willingly shift into U.S. schedules. 

And when you manage the arrangement well, your overseas hires can sustain it for the long run, without burnout and without async headaches.

Book a 30-minute Discovery Call and we’ll show you qualified candidates already proven at working smoothly with U.S. companies.

Until next time,

Nathan