Working practice
Core hours
The agreed window when everyone is online and reachable.
Definition
A defined block of the day, usually three to five hours, during which all members of a distributed team are expected to be available for calls and quick answers. Outside it, people work the hours that suit their location and life.
Why it matters
Core hours make overlap usable, and without them a nominal four-hour overlap disappears into lunch, school runs and standing meetings. Set them explicitly and protect them for questions rather than filling them with ceremonies, or you keep the constraint and lose the benefit.
Related
Read next
Overlap hours
How much of your working day you share with the team.
Read the definition ›Asynchronous communication
Working through written messages that do not need an immediate reply.
Read the definition ›Working agreement
A short written set of rules a team commits to about how it works.
Read the definition ›Daily stand-up
A short daily sync on progress and blockers.
Read the definition ›Next step
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