Work spread across time zones

Travelling across time zones

The main issue for people travelling across time zones is jet lag. It happens because your internal day–night cycle doesn’t match the day–night cycle at your destination. 

Jet lag is affected by:

• length of the flight – the more time zones you pass through, the more likely you will be affected
• direction – you are more likely to be affected when flying east (losing time) than west (gaining time)
• individual factors – e.g. the effects of jet lag tend to increase with age
• how much sleep you got on the plane – general lack of sleep can make jet lag feel worse. 

The symptoms of jet lag can include:

• feeling tired during the day and frequent waking at night
• irritability
• dizziness and nausea
• headaches
• poor concentration, impaired memory and slower reaction times. 

Tips on managing jet lag and travel fatigue

It can take 4–6 days for your internal body clock to adjust to a new time zone. Here are some things that can help reduce the effects of jet lag:

• Sleep on the plane, ideally when it is nighttime at your destination. Eye masks and ear plugs can help shut out the distractions. 
• Drink water on the plane. Staying hydrated helps you feel better. 
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. They make you go to the bathroom more often, which can make you dehydrated. Caffeine is also a stimulant, which might make it harder to fall asleep. 
• Adjust to the local time and expose yourself to daylight as soon as possible. Sunlight helps reset your internal body clock. 
• Get some exercise and eat healthy food. Travelling often involves lots of sitting and unhealthy eating. Eating well and getting some exercise (especially if it is outside) can help you feel and work better. 
• Try to keep to your usual routine as much as possible. For example, if you regularly read before bedtime, try reading for a while before going to sleep. 
• Try medication to help you sleep e.g. melatonin (the hormone your body releases when its dark). Caution: Use medication only if prescribed by your doctor.

If you have to travel for work, go for a walk outside as soon as you can. The sunshine helps reset your body clock. And getting some exercise can help you sleep better that night.  

Meeting across time zones

You can still work across time zones without travelling. Your organisation may have team members or clients in different time zones, which can involve meetings at odd hours—both yours and theirs. 

Here are some tips on managing meetings across time zones:

• Set clear boundaries about when people can and cannot meet. 
• Keep a team calendar of standard hours. 
• Share the times when meetings occur at odd hours across locations so that one group does not disproportionally bear the brunt of meetings out of hours (e.g. alternate or rotate meetings outside usual hours across locations).
• Be clear about meeting times for each location (e.g. 4 pm in Melbourne, 2 pm in Perth). 
• Limit the length of meetings. 
• Consider split shifts or workdays that cater to different time zones (e.g. work during one chunk of the day that caters to your time zone, followed by another chunk that caters to another team member’s time zone). 
• Set aside time when you are available for quick check-ins or chats. 

If you have teams working across time zones, set some ground rules e.g. no one is expected to meet between 11 pm and 6 am, rotate meetings that are scheduled outside normal hours across locations.