Microsoft Teamsによる従業員じゅうぎょういん位置情報いちじょうほうの自動じどう通知つうち機能きのう導入どうにゅうと職場しょくば監視かんしの新あらたな課題かだい

Microsoft has announced the introduction of new features that could have a significant impact on the workplace environment of employees at many companies operating globally.

This move can also be interpreted as a warning to major technology companies: technological advancements are not always something that should be adopted.

According to the latest additions to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, when users connect to their organizations Wi-Fi network, Teams will automatically detect their work location and reflect that information.

So far, the virtual background feature in Teams has anonymized users locations, but from now on, simply connecting to the companys Wi-Fi will allow Teams to update location information, making it easy for supervisors and administrators to know whether employees are inside or outside the office.

Even if you use a background with your company logo during a video conference, it can sometimes become obvious that you’re not actually in the office.

On the other hand, for employees who want to secure quiet time in the office and concentrate on their work without being disturbed by others, this new feature could lead to a loss of privacy.

As TechRadar pointed out, working quietly in the office may soon become a thing of the past, expressing concern about this issue.

Location data is highly confidential and must be handled with extreme care from the perspective of personal information protection.

Technically, it is easy to detect which building an employee logged into the system from and at what time via Wi-Fi, but linking that data with Teams and displaying it to others could cause unnecessary tension or misunderstandings in the workplace environment.

According to Windows Central, this feature reduces workplace confusion and improves productivity by allowing administrators and employees to keep track of each others locations.

For example, you wont need to look for your colleagues in the office or check their whereabouts over the phone, which will improve work efficiency.

However, there are also opinions that this feature could be used to identify people who are not working in the office, and as remote and hybrid work styles are being reconsidered, it cannot be denied that employees freedom may be further restricted.