LCLS Coordinated Calendar

Yes. The framework has been in place since 2022 as the "Hierarchical Calendar." The name has been updated to the LCLS Coordinated Calendar to better reflect what the framework actually does: coordinate meeting schedules across LCLS so that a change in one place doesn't create conflicts across the facility. Same framework, clearer name.

This is guidance, not policy. It works when most of us honor it most of the time. Time-sensitive meetings always take precedence.

Standing meetings that involve many people, starting with the Director's regular commitments, are placed on the calendar first. Other meetings coordinate around them. This keeps a schedule change in one place from creating conflicts across the facility.

Time-sensitive means the timing genuinely matters for LCLS operations. The person calling the meeting decides, but first ask yourself: 

• Could this be an email, a Slack message, or a direct message instead of a meeting? 
• Can this wait for a Wednesday or an open weekday slot? 

If either answer is yes, it's probably not time-sensitive enough to justify a protected block.

In order of preference: 

1. Wednesday. The best day to place time-sensitive items, since meetings scheduled here are the easiest to move.
2. Any open slot on another weekday. Try this before scheduling into a protected block. 
3. Thursday afternoon (LCLS worktime). Only if no open slot works. 
4. 8-9 AM, 12-1 PM, or after 5 PM. Don't assume these times work for everyone; check first. Protected for personal time and rest. 

The framework supports each other's work time, rest time, and personal commitments. When meetings conflict with these times, please be considerate and check with your colleagues before scheduling.

Back-to-back meetings without transitions may not allow people enough time to get to their next meeting or be ready for the one they're in. Starting at :05 (or :35 for half-hour meetings) gives everyone the same shared buffer: travel time, a bio break, a moment to reset, a chance to be ready and present when the next meeting begins.

Yes. A 1-hour meeting scheduled for 9:00 now runs 9:05-10:00. A 30-minute meeting scheduled for 9:30 now runs 9:35-10:00.

This is LCLS's shared standard, but like the rest of the framework, it's guidance. We ask everyone to adopt it because it only works if we all do. If half of LCLS defaults to :05 and half doesn't, the buffer disappears for everyone.

Outlook has a built-in setting that automatically shortens meetings to leave a 5-minute buffer. Turn it on once, and every new meeting you create will start 5 minutes past the hour (or half hour) by default.

Outlook Desktop (Windows and Mac): 

1. Go to File → Options → Calendar 
2. Find the "Shorten appointments and meetings" section and check the box 
3. Choose "Start late" (not "End early") 
4. Set to 5 minutes for meetings under 1 hour; 5 or 10 minutes for meetings 1 hour or longer 
5. Click OK

Outlook on the Web: 

1. Click the Settings gear icon (top right) 
2. Go to Calendar → Events and invitations 
3. Find "Shorten duration for all events" 
4. Choose "Start late" and set to 5 minutes 
5. Save 

Why "Start late" and not "End early"? 

Both settings create the same buffer on paper. In practice, meetings tend to run to their scheduled end time, so the "end early" buffer often gets absorbed by the meeting itself. Starting at :05 protects the buffer by putting it up front, before the meeting begins.

It's a request to look for another slot before scheduling into a protected block. A small team meeting or optional event that genuinely works for everyone is fine; a required meeting that assumes universal availability is not.

No. Wednesday is the recommended default for 1:1s because it's the easiest day to reschedule when something time-sensitive comes up. If you're setting up a new recurring 1:1, Wednesday is the best landing spot; otherwise, schedule them whenever they work for you.

No. Project teams meet any day. Friday is highlighted because it's when non-project LCLS colleagues (Director, Division Leads, Instrument Scientists) are most available to join your project meetings. It's guidance for when you can most easily pull in outside colleagues, not a restriction on your team.

No. Most people attend one Department meeting (~1 hour). Departments spread across Tue 1-5 PM because LCLS has one large conference room and meetings rotate through it. Your actual afternoon is mostly open.

Instrument Collaboration is the standing meeting window for instrument teams. Members come from various LCLS divisions, but this is instrument-team-specific work, not a general cross-LCLS collaboration slot. If you're not on an instrument team, this block doesn't apply to you.

The framework has existed since 2022, and most established meetings have already been coordinated around it. If one doesn't fit, that's a signal to revisit it.

These blocks may not be available for everyone due to personal commitments, meal and rest breaks, or other non-work obligations. Reasons vary by person: 

• 8-9 AM accommodates morning routines, traffic commute issues, and personal commitments like school drop-offs, medical appointments, exercise, or quiet start-of-day time. 
• 12-1 PM protects meal and rest breaks, and for some, midday exercise or errands. 
• After 5 PM accommodates traffic commute issues and personal commitments like childcare pickup, family time, exercise, medical appointments, and rest. 

Not every staff member has every one of these obligations. The protection isn't about any single person's schedule; it's about not asking colleagues to choose between work and life on a recurring basis. The lunch block is the strongest protection: don't schedule required meetings at lunch unless there is truly no other option. A small team meeting or optional event that genuinely works for everyone is fine; a required meeting that puts people in a bind is not.

Coffee Chat is a community break every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 10:05-11 AM. Attendance is not required, but we want people to have the chance to attend, so please don't schedule required meetings over it. On 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, that slot is flex time.

Focused work: catching up, thinking, writing, working through problems without meeting interruptions. Block your calendar if you need to. The whole facility protects this block together, which is what makes it work. Time-sensitive meetings should try Wednesday first, and only fall back to Thursday PM if no other weekday slot works.

Optional is fine. Required is not. A lunchtime seminar people can drop into? Great. A required meeting scheduled at noon? Not aligned with the framework.

Both are open, optional events. Please avoid scheduling recurring meetings over them so people have the chance to attend, but one-off or time-sensitive meetings are fine, especially if the topic isn't relevant to your division. Seminar series are nice-to-attend, not must-attend.

The framework applies to LCLS-internal scheduling only. We can't ask external partners to adhere to our calendar. Do your best; external collaboration takes priority when there's a conflict.

If you're working nights, skip the meeting. LCLS is a 24/7 facility. Coming to meetings tired is a safety concern, not a sign of commitment. Coordinate with meeting organizers to be excused, catch up afterward, or reschedule if your input is essential.

Meeting organizers: if a night-shift colleague is invited, expect them to decline and plan accordingly.

Start with the assumption they're not doing it on purpose. Awareness of the framework has decayed, and new leaders often haven't seen it. A gentle peer nudge is usually enough: "Would this work at [alternative time]? It's in one of the protected blocks." Most conflicts resolve at this level.