Microsoft Teams can record office attendance from December

Microsoft Teams makes fictitious presence in the home office more difficult: with an update, the platform will track an employee's location via the office WiFi.

An update to the Microsoft Teams collaboration software, which is to be rolled out from December 2025, could make working from home a challenge for some. The IT giant is planning to use a new function to record actual presence in the office building. Specifically, Teams will recognize whether the user has connected to the company's own Wi-Fi and then automatically determine the work location according to the respective building.

Teams already offers the option of determining the work location manually. This is intended, for example, to make it easier for colleagues in a large office complex or on a campus to find their way around. With the upcoming update, this process is to be automated in that the software - probably by comparing details such as the IP address or MAC address of the router - will determine whether you are actually on site.

This innovation, which the company has announced on its current roadmap for the cloud-based office package Microsoft 365, gives managers a clear overview of where their employees are at any given time. According to the roadmap, the feature is planned for both Windows and macOS. The technology portal Tom's Guide points out that the update poses a potential threat to anyone who has found an oasis of peace and productivity in their home office. Teams could act as a "tattletale" in future.

Technical details still unknown

Microsoft has made it clear that the function will not initially be switched on by default. Activation is ultimately in the hands of the IT managers in the company. Consent from end users is required.

The debate about automated location recognition is reminiscent of a tactic used by Amazon employees after the coronavirus pandemic. To circumvent the controversial return to the office, some tried to change the name of their private Wi-Fi (SSID) to match that of the official company network. Tom's Guide assumes, however, that an application such as Microsoft Teams will see through this simple trick by means of checking mechanisms. The company has not yet revealed any technical details about the implementation of the new function.

What about data protection?

The automatic recording of the work location raises questions about data protection. Although the function aims to simplify hybrid collaboration, the idea of constant monitoring worries many employees. Microsoft counters this in the roadmap: The function cannot be activated secretly. Admins are not allowed to give their consent on behalf of the affected users.

Detection is based on the SSID of the office, which technicians have to store in the system. The latter therefore knows that a connection to this particular network means that the employee is located in a certain building. Microsoft Teams already uses geodata for other functions such as emergency calls and improving call quality.

The function outlined only records the location in relation to the company WLAN and sets the user's status to the stored building. It is not designed to perform permanent geolocation outside the working environment. Microsoft describes the function as "neutral". However, critics emphasize that the company's internal policy is crucial. If the feature is misused as a control instrument, it could undermine trust in the hybrid working model.

GDPR and the Works Constitution Act

In principle, the function could be compatible with the General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR). In any case, this would require strict compliance with several conditions by the company wishing to use the feature. The legal admissibility essentially depends on the consent of the employees and the purpose of the data collection. The company must obtain the voluntary and informed consent of each individual employee. It may only use the function primarily to improve collaboration and not as a monitoring tool. The transparency obligations must also be fulfilled.

In Germany or a country with similar labor law that provides for a right of co-determination, the company must conclude a works agreement. This is intended to prevent abuse of control. Without the voluntary participation of employees and clear rules on use, the function would probably violate applicable European and German data protection and labor law.

Company plans of this kind would have to be examined under labor law in particular, explains Niko Härting from the Berlin law firm of the same name to heise online: "This is about personal rights in the workplace." Continuous tracking is likely to be unlawful as long as there is no significant interest on the part of the employer to justify such a profound encroachment on fundamental rights. This could be the case in the logistics sector, for example, the lawyer explains. If there is a works council, it would have to give its consent. Data protection lawyers are also likely to question the voluntary nature of consent if, for example, fears of job loss could play a role.

Found on https://www.heise.de/news/Microsoft-Teams-kann-ab-Dezember-Bueroanwesenheit-erfassen-10899898.html