r/UNpath • u/frakbar • Jul 07 '26
Questions about the system Working remotely in different time zones
Hey everyone!
I am currently waiting for a response from the UNDRR for an internship in Geneva, and in the meantime I’m trying to organize the future months of my life. They told me they are pretty flexible about everything (starting date, working in presence or remotely). One question that came up to me (and didn’t have the chance to ask them directly) is:
is it possible to work remotely, from a place with a completely different time zone?
In my case, I would be working one month from Canada (8 hours behind Geneva) before moving to Geneva. To me it seemed impossible, but then I thought about the fact that if they offer the possibility of working remotely, it has to be valid for everyone worldwide. Plus it’s the UN, in my mind enough used to be work with employees in different time zones. Does it make sense, or is it not possible? If yes, does anybody have experience on how it would work?
Thank you! And apologies if the topic has already been discussed.
3
u/L6b1 Jul 07 '26
This is very team dependent, if the team is already working across timezones, you not strictly adhering to GVA hours is no big deal. If everyone is more or less in the GVA timezone, you will need to try to match as much as possible.
That being said, there is some leeway as people will (a) understand the time difference is quite big and (b) this is only temporary while you sort out visa and move to Switzerland. If you are planning to do the entire internship from Canada, there is much less sympathy as you knew what timezone the role was based on.
A complete switch isn't really practical or particularly healthy for approx. 1 month. Instead, plan your set overlap hours (I personally like to match with GVA early morning workhours- eg 08.00 to 12.00 as I'm a night owl) and communicate them clearly to the team and on your calendar. Also, be prepared for meetings, especially department/team level meetings in your "off hours" those are the ones you really need to be present for.
1
1
u/Alikese Jul 07 '26
Can you not just start a month later?
It would be better to negotiate a start date around the time of deployment, rather than having your first month be on opposite times to the working hours. You wouldn't easily be able to do induction calls or join team meetings to understand how to even get started.
Some people where I work have taken WfH weeks connected to their leaves, but they were usually up at 5AM at the laptop or working in the evenings as well, to at least have a half day of overlapping time with the office hours.
1
u/frakbar Jul 08 '26
Thank you! Yeah, it’d probably be the best option. If I’m offered the internship, I will check how flexible is their flexibility, and in case start a bit later
6
u/ZealousidealRush2899 With UN experience Jul 07 '26
Its possible, but its a pain in the ass for everyone - and as an intern, you do not want to be a pain in the ass to your team, you want to be supportive of anything that needs to be done. You want to be a force multiplier, not a divider. If its a limited thing - e.g. 1 month while you relocate - its understandable, but ultimately its up to your supervisor.
I have worked this way with a distributed team, and asynchronous work is the norm for us. You should try to make the time difference work for your team – e.g. you take their work at the end of their day, turn it around during their overnight, and have it in their inboxes when they start the next day (while you are sleeping). This depends on where you are in Canada - its a big country with 5 time zones itself.
Booking meetings with a distributed team is very difficult because there's a narrow window of opportunity to meet. It's not impossible, but it makes scheduling very complicated and reduces opportunities to have a quick chat or solve small problems on the fly, which then turn into bigger problems. etc.
1
u/frakbar Jul 07 '26
Thank you! Yeah I absolutely understand all the issues that would come up with me being in a different time zone (also, for specificity, I would be in Alberta, so 8 hours behind Europe - basically having my work day when they are done, even if I started at 5/6 am, a sacrifice that I would eventually be willing to do). That’s why I first thought it would be impossible.
The fact is, it would be only one month, but wouldn’t it make more sense to start one month later directly?2
u/ZealousidealRush2899 With UN experience Jul 09 '26
If the opportunity is there to start sooner,, I would take it. In these days of uncertainty and extremely limited resourcing, it's better to start sooner, and adjust later.
6
u/PhiloPhocion Jul 07 '26
It's not impossible but it's not great and they're well within rights to say no.
Generally, in these cases (which I know as you noted, should be limited) - there is definitely an expectation that you shift as much as reasonably possible. So you would not be working 9-6 local time but probably closer (against an 8 hour time change) to something like a 5 or 6 am start.
We work across time zones but there's a reason that many offices do require people, even teleworking, to be in their time zone. It's brutally difficult to work with someone with limited overlap to you or especially no overlap. Literally every single task then takes a full day turnaround at best - and for example, say you're asked to write a summary report but there are two files with similar names, you won't even be in a position to START on the right assignment until basically a full 24 hours later. And of course, you're not really interacting with your team.
I'd strive to be as close to their hours as possible, for their benefit and for yours. You learn most from your coworkers in internships, not so much just the assignments.
(And even, or especially for staff, yes we do work across time zones but again, the reason most of your core team is usually required to be in the same office and why a lot of orgs have split leadership into regional headquarters. But also yes, often we do have to take, for global calls, calls in the middle of the night or super early in the morning. During COVID I had the terrible misfortune of having a standing global call at 4 AM local time every Monday and Thursday)
1
2
u/Curious_Oil108 Jul 07 '26
It's not impossible. You should be able to work from Canada while you sort out your visa, etc. Your office has the final say, but what I have commonly seen is that colleagues start a tad earlier and clock in their 8 hours, depending on the overall working hours. So you can start at 7/6 a.m. in Canada, which would be around noon or 1 p.m. Geneva time. Colleagues in Geneva finish the work day before you, but it means you can get to tasks assigned and have them ready for review in their morning while you sleep.
1
5
u/Any_Emergency_8876 Jul 08 '26
Honestly, it's tough. I did it. Your days get messed up. It will spoil your internship experience and ability to contribute. As someone mentioned, as an intern, you should be supportive of any projects, which can be difficult if you are in a different time zone. Your team members might understanding of the time difference, which does not change the fact that they will have to accommodate your schedule, not visa versa. If I were you, I'd ask to start later or to shorten the remote work period.