PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
Staff and faculty are advised to print or save a PDF copy of their Outlook calendars before November 1. As time zone updates are rolled out, Outlook may automatically adjust meetings scheduled on or beyond November 1. To minimize unintended impacts, print or save a PDF copy of your Outlook calendar in preparation for the new time zone change.
On Sunday, November 1, British Columbia will move to permanent year-round time. Unlike previous years, clocks will not “fall back” by an hour. Our new time zone will be called Pacific Canada Time (PCT). A new time zone is a technology change that many vendors and systems have not experienced, and it may affect some processes and systems across the university, including Outlook (SFU Mail).
Known Issue 1: Meetings are Shifted by an Hour
Microsoft has recently released an update to Microsoft 365 to accommodate B.C.'s new time zone. Depending on whether the meeting host has updated to the new time zone or not, this can cause discrepancies to the attendees who have their time zone updated. Please do not change or reschedule your existing meetings yet. IT Services is working with Microsoft to see if a newly released fix can be applied to SFU Mail accounts. Calendar instructions will come closer to November 1.
Known Issue 2: Meeting Availability becomes Unknown
Microsoft is introducing a new time zone setting called (UTC-7:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) to accommodate the new time zone. However, there are issues with this new setting that causes it to no longer show your calendar availability to other individuals such as when using the scheduler feature.
Known Issue 3: Different Apps may show Different Times
Due to the various versions of Outlook across different devices, Outlook intakes time zones differently depending on which version you are using. As a result, this can cause one devices' Outlook calendar to show different times from another.
Known Issue 4: Room and Resource Bookings
There may be time discrepancies with room or resource bookings. The intended and actual time could vary depending if the event/meeting host has their time zones up to date.
AFFECTED SYSTEMS / VERSIONS / USERS
This affects all users who are using SFU Mail (Outlook) calendar.
WORKAROUND
1. Print or save a PDF copy of your Outlook calendars before November 1.
Staff and faculty are advised to print or save PDF a copy of their Outlook calendars before November 1. Keeping a copy of your calendar provides a reference in the event that calendar appointments shift unexpectedly after the time zone change. Step-by-step instuctions can be found at Preparing for Pacific Time – Printing Outlook Calendar.
2. Update your computer, devices and browsers.
All students, staff and faculty are advised to update their computer, devices and browser to the latest version to ensure the new time zones are installed.
- SFU-managed computer: Between now and the end of the week, accept updates when prompted. Before you leave each day, save your work, close your files, and leave your computer on and plugged in.
- Personal or non-SFU device: Install the latest updates from your device's vendor. Please don't change your time zone to PCT yet.
For details on updating your computer, devices and browsers, visit Preparing for the Change to Pacific Time.
3. Hold off on editing existing meetings.
IT Services is working with Microsoft to see if a newly released fix can be applied to SFU Mail accounts. Calendar instructions will come closer to November 1.
4. If your meeting availability is no longer showing, switch back to your original time zone.
If other individuals are unable to see your meeting availability, consider switching back to your original time zone for the time being. Microsoft will be releasing a fix to this issue soon.
5. On November 1, check if your clock is accurate.
All students, staff and faculty are advised to check if their devices' clock and time zone has been switched to the new time zone, (UTC-7:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).
STATUS
IT Services will be sending Microsoft’s time zone and calendar updates to SFU-managed computers starting October 29. For everyone else, ensure that your computer, devices and browsers are up to date before November 1.
As more people update their computers, devices and browsers, time discrepancies in Outlook calendars will naturally to fade away.