Plan overlap around the decisions, conversations and handoffs the role must support. A controller leading the finance team, an accountant speaking with clients and a bookkeeper preparing reconciliations can have very different availability requirements.
Start with a real working week. Identify who the person needs to reach, when the work changes hands and which issues cannot wait until the next day. Those dependencies give you a more useful hiring requirement than a blanket instruction to match headquarters' hours.
Match availability to the role
| Main responsibility | Availability to agree |
|---|---|
| Management / controller leadership | Windows for business decisions, team coordination, stakeholder conversations and time-sensitive review. |
| Client-facing accounting or finance | Client calls, agreed response hours, preparation before meetings and a route for urgent questions. |
| Back-office preparation | Independent work blocks plus reliable windows for questions, handoffs and review. |
| A mixed role | Coverage for its most time-sensitive recurring duties, alongside the independent preparation. |
The title alone will not answer the question. A bookkeeper supporting a scheduled payment run may need to be available for a specific review window. An accountant preparing defined schedules may be able to complete much of the work before colleagues start their day.
For a manager or a client-facing professional, availability during the other party's working day may be central to the role. State that requirement before hiring, including any limits on flexibility.
Map one complete handoff
Illustrative workflow, not a prescribed schedule.
An accountant prepares the agreed schedules before the reviewer becomes available. The submission includes the current version, checks completed and open questions. During the shared window, the reviewer and accountant resolve issues that need discussion. The accountant then completes the agreed revisions and records anything still awaiting a decision.
| Point in the workflow | What must be possible |
|---|---|
| Before the shared window | The preparer can access inputs and complete the agreed independent work. |
| During the shared window | The right reviewer or decision owner is available, with enough time to discuss the work. |
| After the discussion | Revisions have an owner and deadline; an unresolved item has a next checkpoint. |
A shared window has little value if the required reviewer is in other meetings throughout it. Agree availability on both sides. When a decision owner cannot attend, identify the alternative route before the handoff.
Test the calendar against a demanding week
Use a close week, a client deadline or a live transaction to test the arrangement. The normal week may work well while a time-sensitive cycle exposes a gap.
Check when inputs become available, when decisions are needed and how late a correction can arrive without missing the deadline. Include the weekly one-on-one and relevant team or project meeting in that calendar.
Buffer's account of balancing asynchronous and live communication illustrates why both can matter. For a finance role, the practical question is whether the right people can resolve the work's dependencies on time.
Write down the working agreement
| Agree before the start | Make it specific |
|---|---|
| Working hours | Named time zones and recurring availability, with calendars reflecting the arrangement. |
| Response expectations | What needs a response during the shared window and what can wait. |
| Busy periods | Any different coverage needed for close, client meetings or project deadlines. |
| Exceptions | Holidays, absences, urgent matters and the person providing cover. |
| Clock changes | Recheck recurring meetings and handoffs when either location changes its clocks. |
Avoid leaving “flexible hours” open to interpretation. Discuss the real schedule with the professional, including whether occasional changes are possible. An agreed overlap window does not imply availability at every other hour.
Review the arrangement after real cycles
If work repeatedly waits for answers, examine the timing and the handoff together. The cause could be missing context, an unavailable reviewer or insufficient shared time. More overlapping hours will only solve the last of those directly.
Bring the role, stakeholder locations and critical weekly deadlines to the hiring discussion. Nexteam can help you scope an integrated finance role around the availability your team actually needs.
Related: Hybrid finance team guide · Remote accountants · Talent solutions.