dealing with datetime field

I modify the field TransitionDate in HcmEmploymentDetail table (Termination Date in HCMWorker form), its value is   01/23/2014 12:00:00 am (MM/DD/YY) . When I use DateTimeUtil::date() to get date part only, the result is 01/22/2014 the problem comes from that the system actually reads the value of the TransitionDate field as 01/22/2014 10:00:00 pm. How can I resolve the problem in time zone when dealing with datetime field?