When a valued team member relocates to Israel, one of the first questions you have to answer is how to structure their workday. Should they follow US hours to stay aligned with the team, work local Israeli hours for better work-life balance or adopt a hybrid model that blends both?
There is no one perfect answer. The right choice depends on the nature of the role, the team’s communication needs and the level of autonomy the Israel-based team member has. Each model offers clear advantages along with trade-offs worth understanding before you make a decision.
Working US hours
For roles that rely heavily on collaboration, real-time decision-making or client communication, US hours can feel like the simplest solution. It ensures everyone is reachable at the same time and reduces delays in workflow. This is especially helpful for customer support, sales, live product work or teams that depend on regular meetings.
Unfortunately, US hours are late-day hours in Israel, and a full US schedule often means working into the night. If your company is on EST, that means your Israeli team member is working until 12 AM every night, and if you’re on Pacific time, they’ll be working until 3 AM! Over time this can strain work-life balance, limit social and family involvement and increase burnout risk. You may also find that the quality of their work decreases during the late hours or that they are less available for collaboration at certain times.
Working Israeli hours
Allowing the team member to work fully on Israeli time offers major lifestyle benefits. They can maintain a healthy daily routine, participate in family and community life and avoid the exhaustion that comes with late-night shifts. For independent roles that focus on deep work, strategy or long-term projects, this structure can lead to better output and higher job satisfaction.
The challenge is that collaboration slows down. When the bulk of the US team is online, your Israel-based team member may already be done for the day. Questions sit unanswered, meetings require careful planning and certain tasks take longer simply because fewer overlapping hours exist.
Hybrid hours
For many roles, a hybrid schedule hits the sweet spot. The Israel-based team member works part of their day during local Israel hours and part during US business hours. This creates enough overlap for meetings and communication while still preserving a reasonable lifestyle.
Hybrid schedules come in many shapes. Some Israel-based team members prefer starting their day early so they can finish a significant amount of deep work before the US wakes up, then reconnect later in the afternoon for a few hours of overlap.Others start later to catch the US morning. Some split their day into two working blocks, taking mid-day personal time and returning later for online collaboration. The flexibility allows both sides to get what they need.
In some cases, there is no set schedule. Some days the Israeli team member works Israel hours exclusively, other days they work a bit in the morning and join meetings in the evening (Israel time). And on days where serious collaboration is necessary, they might start their work day when their US colleagues get to the office. In other cases, it’s important for the US team to know exactly when their remote colleague is available, so a consistent schedule is key.
Choosing the right model
The most effective approach begins with understanding the demands of the role. Determine whether the team member needs real-time access to colleagues, how often they join meetings, whether they interact with US clients and how much of their work can be done independently. From there, evaluate the team’s expectations and your openness to asynchronous work.
Clarity is essential. Whichever model you choose, define expected availability, set guidelines for response times and establish predictable overlapping hours. A reliable structure helps the entire team, especially when members are spread across continents.
Working with an Israel-based team member does not mean compromising productivity or communication. It simply means being intentional about how you structure their workday. Whether you choose US hours, local hours or a hybrid approach, the goal is to create a schedule that supports strong performance, healthy work habits and a sustainable long-term relationship between your US team and your Israel-based talent.
See also:
