In Spaceti, time zone handling is tailored according to specific booking types: workstation, meeting, and studio. Here is an overview of how these bookings are processed.
1. Booking on Workstation (WS)
When reserving a workstation through Spaceti, the booking is associated with the building's local time zone. These are tied to the building’s local time zone.This approach ensures that users working within the building have a unified time reference, avoiding confusion across different regions. Building time zones are set automatically within the system, making it straightforward for users to plan their work schedules.
2. Booking a Meeting
Meeting bookings in Spaceti are tied to the time zone where the booking is made. These are associated with the time zone where the booking is made.This means that if a user is located in Tokyo and books a meeting, the meeting time is recorded in Tokyo's local time. This setup allows flexibility and accommodates users who are organizing meetings from various international locations. However, it requires users to be mindful of the time zone settings displayed on the booking form.
3. Booking a Studio
Studio bookings follow the same principle as meeting bookings. These are associated with the time zone where the booking is made.The booking time reflects the local time of the user making the reservation, irrespective of the actual location of the studio. For example, booking a studio in Lisbon from Tokyo will log the time as Tokyo local time. This design decision ensures clarity in international dealings, although users need to remain conscious of time zone differences.
Important Note
The system does not automatically convert or display booking times into each office's local time zone by default. Instead, the booking form explicitly indicates the time zone applicable at the time of booking. This transparency helps users understand exactly which time zone they are operating in.
Additional Information on How Outlook Times Are Handled
The user’s current time is exactly the time displayed on their phone or computer. Regarding Outlook, all times are typically recorded in UTC. We store all data in UTC in our database as well. Therefore, when someone creates a meeting via Outlook, we receive the time in UTC and schedule the meeting accordingly at that UTC time. This means that, regardless of the user's local time, all scheduling data is consistent across the platform.
Conclusion
Grasping the current handling of time zones in Spaceti is essential for effective scheduling. Bookings are connected to the local time zone of the booking user, with explicit communication provided to minimize confusion. While not ideal for every scenario, this approach simplifies specific operations. Future enhancements might introduce more intuitive time zone conversions, but for now, understanding these configurations is crucial for accurate planning.