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Timezone Selection

When working with time-based rules, the Out-of-Office Assistant handles time zones automatically to ensure your absence times are accurate regardless of where you or your team members are located.

When the Timezone Selector Appears

The timezone selector appears in the rule creation form when:

  • Your browser timezone differs from your Jira instance timezone

  • You're creating a rule with specific start/end times (not date-only rules)

If your browser and instance timezones match, no selector appears - the system uses your current timezone automatically.

Out_of_Office_Assistant_Schedule_Time Zone selector.webp
Rule Creation with timezone selector

Timezone Hierarchy

The system determines which timezone to use in this order:

  1. Explicitly selected timezone - If you manually choose a timezone from the selector

  2. Browser timezone - Detected automatically from your browser settings

  3. Instance timezone - Your Jira server's default timezone (fallback)

The World Icon (🌍)

A world icon appears next to rules that have timezone information attached. This indicates:

  • The rule was created with a specific timezone

  • Times may display differently for users in other timezones

  • Hovering over the icon shows timezone details

Note: The icon may remain visible even after timezone-related operations. This is a known cosmetic issue (COO-1249) and doesn't affect functionality.

How Timezones Affect Display

For the Rule Creator

Times display in the timezone you selected when creating the rule.

For Other Users

  • Users in the same timezone see the exact times you specified

  • Users in different timezones see times converted to their local time zone

  • The world icon indicates timezone conversion is happening

Examples

Example 1: Matching Timezones

  • Your timezone: EST (Eastern Standard Time)

  • Instance timezone: EST

  • Result: No timezone selector appears

  • Display: Times shown as you entered them

Example 2: Different Timezones

  • Your timezone: PST (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-8)

  • Instance timezone: EST (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-5)

  • Result: Timezone selector appears

  • You create rule: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST

  • EST colleague sees: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST

Example 3: Global Team

  • Your timezone: CET (Central European Time, UTC+1)

  • Instance timezone: UTC

  • Result: Timezone selector appears

  • You select: CET

  • Display: Times shown in CET for you, converted for others

Working Across Timezones

Creating Rules for Remote Work

When working remotely in a different timezone:

  1. Let the browser detect your current timezone

  2. Or manually select the timezone where you'll actually be unavailable

  3. The system converts times appropriately for all viewers

Multi-Timezone Teams

For teams spread across time zones:

  • Rule creator: Always specify times in your local timezone

  • Team members: See times automatically converted to their timezone

  • Deputies: See accurate times for when to cover responsibilities