Microsoft Teams will soon show who’s in the office and who isn’t

Starting in December, the collaboration platform Microsoft Teams will be able to automatically detect whether employees are working in the office.

The debate around remote work and office presence requirements is getting new fuel: Microsoft is planning a December update for Teams that can automatically track users’ work locations. Although the company is promoting the feature as a navigation aid for large office complexes, it could potentially also serve as a control instrument.

Automatic detection via Wi-Fi

According to published update notes, Teams will soon be capable of determining users’ locations as soon as they connect to the company Wi-Fi network. The feature will then automatically display which building an employee is in. Microsoft emphasizes that the feature will remain disabled by default. The decision to activate it lies with administrators, and affected users must explicitly consent.

Between coordination and control

Microsoft presents the innovation as a practical tool for companies with multiple locations. In large organizations, it could indeed be helpful to know which building colleagues are currently in. The feature would facilitate spontaneous in-person meetings and improve on-site collaboration.

However, the potential for misuse is obvious: supervisors could use the Teams status to see at any time whether employees are in the office or working remotely. Particularly in companies with strict presence policies or hybrid work models, the temptation to use the feature for attendance monitoring is likely to be significant.