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Jon's avatar
Jon V Community Member

New Manual Time Logging Interface

As I am logging Manual Time, I have to refresh after submitting in order to see the time logged for a specfic date. If I don't refresh, the side panel that appears with that date show no time logged (even though I just submitted time on that day). After a full refresh, the time shows properly. This is clearly an issue that can be resolve with a little work by Upwork. The other issue I've reported in a previous post is that the time zone defaults to UTC every single time I try to log time, as well as view time logged (vs. what I would hope to be my time zone as default or an option to set the default time zone).

17 REPLIES 17
Jon's avatar
Jon V Community Member

The new interface for logging Manual Time seems to default to UTC every single time I go to enter manual time. I would think most freelancers think in terms of their time zone and Upwork can translate for clients. This is really frustrating when I know that it should be so easy for Upwork to either set default to Mine or allow an option for freelancers to set the default to either UTC or Mine. Anyone else having this issue? Is there a workaround?

Scott's avatar
Scott K Community Member

There really needs to be an option to control / prevent these UTC time's from showing. I have to change from UTC time to "Mine" every time I enter hours, and there is no option to make "Mine", i.e. my time zone stick globally for my profile, very annoying, especially with this new manually time entering screens just rolled out this week. See attached, this doesn't make sense to me, I worked 8 hours each day, but becuase of UTC, it's not useable. This screen doesn't even show what time zone it is and no option to change it.

 

Please make a profile setting to always show "Mine" if selected, or "UTC" if I wanted it to.

 

Screen Shot 2022-07-20 at 5.15.36 AM.png

Annie Jane's avatar
Annie Jane B Retired Team Member

Hi Scott,

 

Thank you for your reaching out to us. I understand what you mean and it does make it easier for you as a freelancer to have that option. Just to share though, you are working with clients from all over the world, and for all the transactions, we follow the UTC timezone such as dispute cut-off time, Work Diary review period, and availability of funds for withdrawal.

 

Nevertheless, I'll make sure that your feedback gets to the right team. Thank you!


~ AJ
Upwork
Scott's avatar
Scott K Community Member

I'm a software engineer, I know the reason for storing data in UTC, that's the correct way to do it, but the data should always be displayed to the client, i.e. us Freelancers and Clients, in their native time zone. I'm sure Facebook, Instagram, etc... all use UTC date/times, but when you browse their feeds, the data is shown to you, the user, in your native time zone... that's all I'm requesting, is to use best practices globally within the UpWork website and mobile app.

Nikola's avatar
Nikola S Retiring Moderator

Hi Jon,

 

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your report with our team and one of our agents will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further. You can access your ticket on this page.

 

~ Nikola
nate's avatar
nate c Community Member

How has this issue still not be resolved? Displaying the data for the client in their local time as an option was working on this site for YEARS! I may work with clients all over the world, but I DO NOT track hours in any format other than my local time. Its also interesting that none of my clients are happy with timezone issue either, it only makes everything more confusing. Its  also horribly inefficient to have to choose my timezone to enter hours every single time because the Upwork UI will not recognize my timezone.

How can we get more users involved to persuade Upwork this change is necessary?

Debra's avatar
Debra T Community Member

I am also frusterated! On Monday, I logged hours throughout the day. I always set the time to 'mine' each time before I add hours. After all was said and done, the hours I logged in the evening, are now showing for the next day.

VERY confussing, as the next day wasn't even here yet. 

Joseph's avatar
Joseph D Community Member

Why is there still no option to view our times by default in our own time zone?

Avery's avatar
Avery O Community Manager

Hi Joseph, 

You can set your Workdiary to your own timezone, and this setting will be in place until you change it in the future. Are you going through any specific issues when you do this? 


~ Avery
Joseph's avatar
Joseph D Community Member

Hi Avery - I just noticed your reply! Thanks, but that setting does not stick for me. Everytime I come back to the work diary page, I have to set it from UTC to Mine. I'm pretty sure it isn't a cookie issue because I don't get logged out between site visits, but perhaps there's something more subtle that I need to configure? 

Joseph's avatar
Joseph D Community Member

A year later and this is STILL broken. Sometimes it remembers, sometimes it doesn't. With your new fees you can afford to fix this. 

 

**** Solution that Upwork should implement: Have a profile setting for default timezone. PROFILE SETTING FOR DEFAULT TIMEZONE. I also recommend you just make it a profile setting for default timezone, in the profile section, where we can set the default timezone.

Jeremy's avatar
Jeremy W Community Member

I can't believe the product team hasn't fixed this yet. We all understand UTC for reporting, but having to switch this time zone every time we log time to our own is such a pain. Please fix this so it defaults to our own time zone in our time trackers. This should AT MINIMUM be something we set once and then it stays as a setting, not having to check it ever time.

nate's avatar
nate c Community Member

It still does not stick. It must be reset EVERY SINGLE TIME. I've contacted support, its never been fixed.

Maksym's avatar
Maksym H Community Member

Still no default settings availble 😞

Phil's avatar
Phil D Community Member

Throwing a vote behind this.  It's annoying to have to click "my time zone" every time I want to view my client's hours.  

Maksym's avatar
Maksym H Community Member

5 month later the issue still here, is it so complicated to add setting of time? Obviously log time by my local is more easier, I have GMT +3 and I have no idea what the 13.30 to 16.45 win UTC time! Why it so complicated?

Dana's avatar
Dana W Community Member

maybe upwork needs to hire someone from upwork to fix their broken system 🤦‍:male_sign:🤣