Alternative to saying "good night" on remote meetings

Question

I have a weekly Skype meeting with a colleague who lives on another continent.

Our meeting happens in the morning for me and in the night time for him (around 9pm). He always starts out the meeting with

"Good morning ->my name<-"

Even though it isn't morning for him.

I want to say

Good night -> his name <-

But maybe it's just something in my head but "Good Night" seems like a way to say "bye" and not a greeting. So what can I say instead that would reflect that I am greeting him at his night time.

I tried:

Good Evening

but he joked that it was night time there. I don't want to make the same awkward joke every week. What could I say instead that is friendly yet professional?

My race/culture : South Asian in the USA
Colleague's culture: Middle Eastern

Answer 1

What could I say instead that is friendly yet professional?

The most neutral (yet friendly) and professional way I can think of is "Greetings".

A more friendly way of putting it could be "Greetings [name]", or "Glad to see you again, [name]", or even "Hey there, [name], good to read you again".

Have in mind if this is written or spoken, so you say "see" or "read" properly.

Answer 2

What could I say instead that is friendly yet professional?

I would say "Hi [his name]" or "Hello [his name]".

There may be greetings more culturally-specific, but you didn't indicate the two cultures.

Answer 3

Couple etiquette notes on conference lines. I've spent hundreds of hours on international calls for work.

1. It is pointless to try to speak within everyone else's time zone, especially on large calls that span multiple countries. It starts to sound ridiculous if you try-- "Good morning/afternoon/evening, where ever you are." People still do it, but it is kind of a distraction.

2. It is common in a professional environment to identify yourself instead of giving the usual greeting. For example, instead of "Good morning everyone" you could say "Hello, this is John." This has practical benefits since there could be numerous people on the call.

3. On a work call, it is OK to greet in your own timezone, i.e. if it's morning where you are, just say "Good morning." This has practical benefits as well, since it tells everyone on the call what time of day it is for you. They already know what time of day it is for them.