Microsoft Teams gets new feature: Reveals who’s actually working in the office

Microsoft has announced a new update to Teams that is already sparking debate.

The communication platform is getting a feature that can automatically detect when employees are in the office and share that information with their managers.

How the new feature works

Teams will connect directly to the company’s wireless network.

When a computer or mobile device logs on to the internal WiFi, the system automatically detects that the employee is physically present in the workplace.

The program then marks the employee’s status as “in the office” in Teams.

According to Microsoft, the feature should create a better overview and make it easier to see who is available in the workplace without colleagues having to write or call first.

Critics fear surveillance

Officially, Microsoft describes the feature as a tool to make collaboration easier and increase productivity.

However, many experts and unions warn that in practice, the feature could be used as a surveillance tool.

At a time when more companies are curtailing their home working arrangements, critics fear that the feature will allow management to keep an eye on who actually shows up in person.

Microsoft itself has already introduced new rules for its own employees: Employees who live within 50 miles of a Microsoft office will be required to work there at least three days a week from February 2026.

Microsoft emphasizes that the new Teams feature is not meant to control, but to help create more efficient coordination.

Still, it raises concerns because it follows a broader trend in the tech industry where tools designed for productivity can also be used to measure employee behavior.

The feature is expected to be rolled out by the end of 2025, and Microsoft has not yet announced whether companies can turn it off.

Teams and Office will be separated

At the same time, Microsoft continues to change its product strategy. Following pressure from the EU, the company has separated Teams from Microsoft 365, so users can now buy the software separately for around 28 kroner per month.

The new pricing without Teams is in response to criticism of distortion of competition.

Microsoft is also continuing to work on its other platforms. Viva Insights has launched a new Copilot Dashboard with the Benchmarks feature that shows how much employees use artificial intelligence in their work.

This tool has also been met with concerns that it could be used to monitor rather than support employees.