Recurring Meetings Across Clock Changes: How to Avoid Mix-ups
A recurring meeting set for the same time every week can suddenly land an hour earlier or later for colleagues in another country when clocks change.
Why meetings shift
Calendar apps store a meeting in the organiser's time zone. When the UK clocks change, the meeting stays at the same UK time, but colleagues in countries that change on different dates see it move. A weekly 15:00 London call is 10:00 in New York for most of the year, but 11:00 in New York for the one week when the UK has gone back and the US has not.
Fixing it
Decide whose clock the meeting follows, and say so in the invitation. If the meeting follows UK time, it will shift for people elsewhere in the transition weeks. If it follows another city, such as New York, it will shift for UK attendees instead.
Review the series a week before each clock change. Our converter lists the dates when the gap changes, so you can check the week in advance and tell people.
A simple team rule
Many teams agree to use UTC in conversation for the transition weeks, write the time in everyone's local time in the invitation, and move the meeting by the shortest amount that keeps everyone within working hours.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my meeting change time for a week?
Because the UK and the US change their clocks on different dates, so the gap between them is one hour smaller for a few weeks each year.
Clock change guides
- What Is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? A Plain-English GuideWhat daylight saving time is, how it works in the UK, Europe and the US, why it exists, its history, who uses it and the argument over scrapping it.
- Why Do the Clocks Go Back in October? The Real ReasonThe clocks go back in autumn to return the UK to GMT, so winter mornings are lighter. The history, the rule, what time it happens and what changes for you.
- When Do the Clocks Go Forward Again After Going Back?When the UK clocks go forward again after the autumn change, how long the UK stays on GMT, when evenings get lighter and how to remember to reset your clocks.