Planning Meetings Across Time Zones

Avoid recurring meeting surprises caused by daylight-saving changes and date rollovers.

A time that works today may not work next month because regions change clocks on different dates—or do not change them at all. A little context prevents missed meetings.

Use named time zones

Choose a region such as Europe/London where possible instead of relying on a fixed UTC offset. Named zones can account for seasonal changes in calendar software.

Always include the date

“3 PM” is incomplete when people work across regions. Include the date and zone, and remember that another attendee may see the following calendar day.

Review recurring invitations

Check invitations before seasonal clock changes and rotate inconvenient meeting times fairly across a distributed team. Confirm how the event displays on each attendee’s calendar.

Before relying on the result, test a small example, keep an original copy when a file or value is transformed, and check the output in the application where you plan to use it. Browse the tools directory for a utility that matches your task, and use the other practical guides for related checks.

Editorial note: This guide provides general educational information. Follow the requirements of the software, service, or organization involved when a task has specific rules.