For example, someone in Madrid may refer to CET (Central European Time) during the summer time – when Madrid is on Central European Summer Time, or CEST – simply to mean “my local time”. Finally, acknowledge that others may not be as precise in the way they use time zones. For example, “Let’s meet at 4pm GMT – that’s 8am PDT”. In these cases, it’s helpful to translate your time to their local time for clarification.

Be aware that some people are not used to working with multiple time zones, and so may make unexpected assumptions. So, always include a time standard when referring to times, whether spoken, in emails or in calendar invites. To avoid unnecessary confusion, it’s crucial to get your head around time zones and be precise and consistent in the way you talk about times when you’re setting up meetings. One of these challenges is communication, so here are 4 things we have learned which have helped us face the time zone challenge head-on. At LoopUp, we have offices in London, San Francisco, Boston, Hong Kong and Barbados, so we’re well versed in the joys and challenges of operating internationally. This happens more frequently as business is becomes increasingly global. Many of us have experienced the frustration of sending a meeting invite to individuals in other locations, only to join the call and realize we’re on at the wrong time because we forgot to take time zones into consideration.