Microsoft Teams is all set to roll out a location-tracking feature that will automatically detect whether an employee is working from the office or not. This update announcement has triggered fresh concerns over workplace surveillance and the future of flexible work culture.
According to a recent update on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the feature will launch in December 2025. Once enabled, Teams will update an employee’s work location the moment their device connects to the organisation’s office Wi-Fi network.
What Microsoft says?
Microsoft claims the update is meant to reduce confusion in hybrid teams.
The official note reads: “When users connect to their organisation’s Wi-Fi, Teams will automatically update their work location to reflect the building they are working from. This feature will be off by default.”
Also Read: Meet Karthik Narain: The Indian tech leader now driving Google Cloud’s global AI strategy
The company has clarified that:
It will be available on both Windows and macOS
Tenant admins will decide whether to activate it
Users will have to opt in if the organisation enforces it
Employees push back
The announcement has not gone down well with remote-work supporters. Many see it as the digital equivalent of an attendance register.
On social media, users accused Microsoft of enabling micromanagement: “So now even Microsoft Teams is turning into an attendance monitor?” one user wrote. Another commented: “More technology, less trust.” Critics argue that companies looking for control will use this to pressure employees back into office spaces, undermining the flexibility that became the norm post-pandemic.
Also Read: Mark Rober crashes Tesla into a ‘Cartoon Wall': You won’t believe what happened next
Why it matters?
For organisations, the feature could help locate team members inside large office campuses. For employees, especially long-term remote workers, it feels more like a tracking tool than a productivity feature.
With the rollout still weeks away, the debate is only expected to intensify and whether companies enable it could determine how hybrid work evolves from here.
