Remote Collaboration Across Time Zones: Lessons from GitHub Leaders

Managing a global team requires more than just good communication tools. It demands a deliberate approach to how work is structured, how people connect, and how empathy is applied across cultures and time zones. Two GitHub leaders with decades of experience—Maneesh Sharma, General Manager for GitHub in India, and Bassem Asseh, Regional Vice President of Enterprise Solutions for EMEA—offer practical insights drawn from managing dispersed teams worldwide.

Making Remote Work Seamless

Sharma emphasizes that the quality of an employee's experience shouldn't depend on their physical location. The same systems, processes, and engagement strategies should apply whether someone is in an office or working from home. That consistency helps build a strong culture. But he also flags a common risk: remote employees can feel isolated. Staying visible through company message boards, all-hands meetings, and internal team posts matters, as does making time for candid, open conversations beyond daily work tasks.

Asseh points out that collaboration often breaks down when important discussions stay confined to a few people. The real cost comes when decisions aren't communicated quickly enough to everyone affected. Bringing the right people into the conversation early avoids wasted time and moves work forward. Involving the right individuals as soon as possible keeps momentum and prevents rework.

The Shift in Attitudes Toward Remote Work

Before the pandemic, face-to-face meetings were the default for initial customer and partner interactions, often requiring significant logistical investment. Sharma notes that the COVID-19 lockdowns actually made these connections more efficient. Video conferencing has become normalized, and there is far more tolerance for background noise, interruptions, and the occasional connectivity glitch. The experience, he believes, will change the long-term acceptance of remote work.

Asseh, who has worked remotely for ten years (five at GitHub), doesn't see the pandemic as having created friction in his European customer relationships. The absence of traditional business lunches and dinners hasn't proven to be a barrier since everyone faces the same constraints. He expects industries that previously hesitated to embrace remote collaboration will adopt it more readily after this prolonged experiment.

Sharma's typical day spans colleagues across the US, Europe, Singapore, Australia, and India. His approach is to respect each person's preferences around communication format and timing. He checks in before sending calendar invites rather than assuming availability, and he stays mindful that any shared meeting slot will inconvenience someone. The goal is to accommodate as many schedules as possible while respecting people's commitments.

Asseh adds that asynchronous communication requires patience. Colleagues in opposite time zones should not be expected to respond quickly, and scheduling requires setting expectations about what times work best for each region. Showing empathy, he says, is essential to making these logistics work.

The Real Value: Less Commute, More Productivity

For Sharma, the biggest personal benefit is simply the word "commute"—or rather, its absence. Previously, a typical week meant multiple flights across India, which took a toll on his health and required extensive planning. With customers and partners now remote-friendly, he has seen significant improvement in productivity. An unexpected bonus: interactions with external stakeholders have actually become more frequent, since conversations no longer depend on scheduling in-person visits.

Asseh covers all of EMEA, so in-person meetings previously meant long travel, not a short metro ride. The time gained by working from home every day balances the time spent traveling when face-to-face meetings are unavoidable. That overall balance, he says, is highly valuable.

Advice for New Remote Workers

Sharma recommends planning both your home office and your work week, making full use of available tools and technology. He stresses the need for a clear division between "home" and "office" spaces, noting a tendency to over-connect when working remotely. Equally important: respect colleagues' working styles and communicate often.

Asseh echoes the need for clear separation. Mixing work and home life generates stress in both domains. For those in sales roles, he offers a more specific caution: remote interactions aren't suitable for every customer or every stage of the sales process. Presenting an offer, for instance, is still best done face-to-face. Awareness of those limitations, along with attention to everyone's needs, is key to making remote work effective.