Microsoft is preparing to introduce a new Teams feature that can automatically show where employees are working based on the Wi-Fi networks they connect to. Instead of users manually setting their location, Teams will detect whether someone is in the office and update their work status automatically.
The feature is expected to roll out in March 2026 after being delayed more than once, and it will apply only to Teams desktop apps on Windows and Mac.
How it changes daily work visibility
When an employee connects to office Wi-Fi, Teams will mark them as working from that location. If they are not connected to organizational networks, their status will reflect remote work.
Microsoft says location data won’t update after work hours and will reset at the end of the day, but the visibility this creates is what’s driving concern.
Although Microsoft describes the feature as optional, the real control lies with administrators. Once enabled at the organization level, employees may have limited ability to opt out, which shifts the feature from a convenience tool to a form of passive monitoring.
What makes this update controversial isn’t the technology itself — it’s the implication. A tool designed for collaboration can easily become a way to enforce attendance rules, monitor hybrid work, and track presence rather than productivity.
For organizations, this raises bigger questions about trust, transparency, and boundaries in modern workplaces. Without clear policies on how this data is used, who can see it, and why it exists, features like this risk damaging employee confidence instead of improving coordination.
This isn’t just a Teams update — it’s a glimpse into how workplace tech is slowly redefining the line between collaboration and surveillance.
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