Microsoft Teams Tracks Everything From How Many Times You Replied to Reasons Why You Blocked Somebody

Microsoft Teams was initially launched in 2017, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has gained more attention in 2020 as workers had to start working remotely to avoid further spread of the virus, but many were not exactly happy with how Teams work.

Microsoft 365 Productivity Score

Teams is a team collaboration software, wherein employers and employees can easily communicate in real-time, making collaboration easier, as if everyone is in the same office working together.

The software has a variety of different features besides the chat and video conferencing ones, such as a task managing system.

But besides collaboration, Microsoft Teams also help employers keep track of their employees, although that's exactly why some people aren't as excited about using a software that has practically everything you need.

According to ZDNet, people began questioning and criticizing Teams when the company decided to include a feature known as the 365 Productivity Score, which practically rates how productive employees seem to be based on how much they use Microsoft 365 products, such as Teams, Word, and Excel.

How Teams Can Track You

Although the feature is not as intense as other employee tracking software that tracks keyboard and mouse use, constant screenshots of your device, or even low-key taking images through your webcam, many are still not convinced that Microsoft's Productivity Score can actually gauge a worker's productivity, especially when they are working from home.

Moreover, some experts still believe that it's an extensive workplace surveillance tool despite the lack of the creepier features.

In order to calculate productivity scores, Microsoft 365 will have to track everything, from how many emails you have sent, how many replies you made, which channels you replied to, how many times you posted on Yammer, and so much more.

With that, Teams will have to track every movement users make while on the platform.

According to the online tech magazine, Teams will be able to check data of all of your voice chats, shared meetings, voicemails, files, and the details you have in your profile such as your email address and number.

This is all part of the Terms and Conditions of the platform, which you can read fully via Microsoft's website.

The company is open about what they track and store since June of 2020.

Is Your Boss Spying on You?

Then, back in September, the tech giant offered more to its users, such as recording how many urgent messages are shared, the number of messages a user sent in a private chat, and apparently, the reasons behind why you blocked someone, and a whole lot more.

The numbers for scheduled meetings and ad hoc are separated.

Many employees who are using Microsoft Teams are rather worried about their managers' use of the platform, such as the concern of one Reddit user who posted on the forum website to ask if their boss may be using the platform for surveillance.

Nevertheless, many are still using Teams for work collaboration due to its variety of features, and with the way things are going, it's best to use the platform purely for work-related stuff.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by: Nhx Tingson