[tom_mellior]

> The key is to require some defined overlap of working hours.

Sure, that's not what I'm disputing.

> When someone has to wait until the next day to get a response to any blocking questions, work slows to a crawl.

Blocking questions should be an absolute exception in any case, even if the person who can answer them is just down the hall. It's on engineering management to organize work and documentation practices so that people can find answers on their own.