Are you coordinating across different time zones? Use this free Time Zone Converter to see what might work.

2. Rotate recurring meeting times

As you can see, booking a meeting across multiple time zones is going to require some flexibility, as every option consists of two locations meeting at a less-than-opportune time

A suggestion? Rotate the meeting time each week to make things more fair. That way, the team member in Dublin doesn't have a late meeting every week, and the team member in New York City doesn't have an early meeting every week.

3. Record the meeting

Sometimes, the time zones don't align and everyone can't attend, the meeting you'd like to. If you have a widely distributed 15-person team and everyone can attend except three people because the meeting is at 2 a.m. for them, take it as a victory and record the meeting to send to those who couldn't attend. This is a good rule of thumb for all large team meetings, as time zones and vacation time will invariably lead to at least a few absences.

4. Set an agenda and ask for questions in advance

Make sure that those who can't attend the meeting have the opportunity to ask questions ahead of time. When you send out your meeting agenda (at least one business day prior to the meeting), ask for those people to send their questions and talking points in advance, and read them out at the top of the meeting. (For help creating your agenda, use our free meeting agenda templates)

5. Take the follow-up conversation to Slack

Messaging apps, such as Slack, allow team members to chat and have discussions easily. Take the post-meeting discussion to Slack afterward, so employees who are unable to attend (or need to immediately go to bed) can look back later and catch up.

Looking for more tips for managing distributed teams and remote employees? Download our leadership guide about how to manage remote employees.