• Employee location tracking in “Teams” to launch officially in March
• Controversial feature raises privacy and digital presence concerns

Microsoft revealed the postponement of its employee location tracking feature in the Teams app to March, citing the sensitivity of the functionality and the wide debate it has generated.

Updated the company the general roadmap for Microsoft 365 services to confirm the delay of a feature that would have allowed employers to view employees’ locations while using the app.

Explained reports that the feature relies on Teams detecting the Wi-Fi network the user is connected to, then automatically displaying their work location in both Teams and Outlook.

Indicated the proposed mechanism: if an employee connects to a specific internal network, their location would appear as being inside the company building, linking digital presence to physical location.

Raised concerns as this could reveal when employees are late, working from home, or using the apps outside the corporate network, giving management a precise view of their movements.

Faced implicit pushback from employees, especially those in hybrid work arrangements or those viewing the step as a direct invasion of personal privacy.

Attempted Microsoft to ease criticism by making feature activation dependent on IT administrators, while allowing end users to consent, though this approach loses effectiveness if location tracking is mandatory.

Delayed the official rollout multiple times: initially planned for January on Windows and Mac, then shifted to February, and now postponed to March.