With the fast-growing technological advancement in the world, more and more companies are gradually shifting from working onsite to working remotely. And that’s where communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams come in handy.
As much as this tool is helping to boost communication and overall productivity in workspaces, it’s also giving bosses access to keep track of their employees. However, that depends on how much information they want to know and if you are signed in to the company-based Microsoft Teams account.
It’s somewhat worrisome that as long as you’re on the company’s Teams account, your boss can access lots of your activities if they want to from your messages, down to your location and presence status.
In this post, I am going to share with you more detail about the data your employer has about you on Microsoft Teams and also examine what this might mean for your privacy and security.
We will also look at how your employer can access such data. So, whether you’re working from home or you use Microsoft Teams for work-related communication, you must understand the information you’ll be sharing with your employer unknowingly on the platform and how to restrict such information.
Without much ado, let’s dive right in!
Information Your Employer Can See About You On Microsoft Teams
Call and Meeting History Records
When signed in to the company’s Microsoft Teams account, your employer can access your call and meeting history records to find out the time and date of such calls or meetings as well as the duration and participants.
This can be done from the admin center which is majorly the portal that grants access to all the features and settings used for managing a team on Microsoft Teams.
To access the call and meeting records, your boss needs to open the Microsoft Teams Admin center from the launch panel, then input their login details to gain access to their dashboard
From there, they navigate to the “Manage users” option, pick the employee they are interested in and go to the “Reports” section from where they can access the call and meeting reports.
However, your employer can take things a notch higher by filtering the report either by date or time in order to see specific calls and meeting records. Regarding calls, your boss can also see how much your calls cost the company.
Image by cottonbro studio via Pexels
Employee’s Usage History
Your boss can also monitor all of your activities on Microsoft Teams from the activity and users channel to urgent text including replies, mentions, the meetings organized, and even memes!
That is to say that it’s easy for your employer to know what you’ve been up to all day from the number of meetings attended to the calls answered and messages received and replied to.
To access your usage history, your employer only needs to navigate to the “Usage reports” option from the admin center.
From there, they will see the level of activities of every employee.
Also Read: Best Microsoft Teams Backgrounds
Image by Thirdman via Pexels
Employee’s App Usage
Another piece of information you’re unknowingly sharing with your employer through Microsoft Teams is your app usage. Through this feature, they will know what app you’re using whether they are third-party apps or Microsoft apps.
To gain more insight into your app usage, your employer uses the “App usage reports” option from the admin center.
This reveals how each app has been used including the number of times it was opened, the team members who have used the app, and the amount of time spent on each app.
Employers can also use the “Policy and Compliance” feature from Microsoft 365 compliance to view and monitor app usage by employees in the organization.
However, bear in mind that the app usage report feature on Microsoft Teams reveals information about the apps provided by your organization through Teams but not the apps installed on your device.
Check Out: Free Zoom Alternatives
Employee’s Device Usage
The “Device usage report” report on Microsoft Teams allows the company to monitor which device you use to log in to Teams whether it’s a Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, or via the web.
If they want, they can take things a notch higher to know the IP address of your device including the brand and model number.
In addition to that, your employer can opt to know your device’s operating system and the version of the Microsoft Teams app that you’re currently using.
Image by Mikhail Nilov via Pexels
Employee’s User Activity
Your employer can also get an overview of your activities on Microsoft Teams through the “User activity reports” feature. The feature reveals more information on your activity levels like the number of messages you send, receive, and reply to daily.
Your boss also gets insights on the meetings attended including the ones you organized and the ones you were invited to attend. Additionally, your company will know the number of files you’ve shared, your video time, audio time, screen sharing time, and the last time you were online.
Also Read: Best Zoom Alternatives
Employee’s Personal Information
The “Users” feature from the admin dashboard will reveal your personal details to your employer. Once they click on the “Manage Users” option, the profile information of each of the team members such as name, location, email address, and phone number is displayed.
Aside from that, your company also gains insight into your online or offline status, policies assigned to you as well as the number of calls and meetings you have been on.
Image by Moe Magners via pexels
Productivity Score
Companies must track the productivity score of their employees on Microsoft Teams as it helps them to understand better how the team is utilizing the platform and where they may need more support or training.
Additionally, it helps employers gauge how well team members are communicating and collaborating within themselves and also measures how effective the remote work policies are.
Your team’s productivity score can easily be accessed through the “Productivity” feature from the admin dashboard.
It displays data on the number of meetings each employee has attended including the duration of calls, the number of messages sent and received, and how well the teams are collaborating.
Image by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels
Can I Hide My Data From My Employer on Microsoft Teams?
Truthfully, you can not completely hide your data from your employer on Microsoft Teams. As long as you’re logged in to the company’s account, by default, your data will be laid bare for your company to access and monitor.
They also have the right to monitor how you use the apps provided and ensure that you’re following the policies and regulations of the organization.
However, if you’re not very comfortable having your boss spy on your work activities, there are other ways you can prevent this from happening.
Check Out: Bluejeans vs Zoom
How To Limit What My Employer Sees On Microsoft Teams?
There are a few steps you can take if you want to restrict how much information your boss feeds off from you on Microsoft Teams.
Image by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels
Review Your Privacy Settings
Your privacy settings help you to choose who sees certain information about you such as your phone number, online status, and email address. To review the settings, follow the steps below:
- Open the Microsoft Teams app and log in to your dashboard
- Go to the profile picture at the top-right corner of the window and click on it
- From the drop-down menu, click on settings
- Select “Privacy” from the left-hand menu
- Make the necessary changes and then click “Save” when you’re done
In reviewing your privacy settings, you can choose to hide certain features such as your presence status (that is whether you are online or offline) or chat history from your employer. You can also limit who has access to your email address, and who can call you or send messages.
Aside from that, you can customize your call and meeting settings. However, bear in mind that these changes depend on your company’s settings.
Image by Christina Morillo via Pexels
Use the “Do Not Disturb” Feature
You can also restrict information about you on Microsoft Teams by enabling the “Do Not Disturb” feature. The option helps you to temporarily mute notifications and hide your online or offline status.
This way, you’re in better control as to when and how you receive calls and messages. One of the primary usefulness of this feature is that it lets you regulate your availability on Teams. Follow the steps below to enable the DND feature:
- Log in to your Microsoft Teams App
- Navigate to your profile picture and click on “Availability” from the drop-down menu
- Click on “Do Not Disturb” to enable the feature
If you want, you can also set a time when you want the DND feature to switch off and come back on. When you are done, click on “Save” to apply the changes. That way, your status doesn’t say whether you are online or offline.
You can use this feature either when you want to go on break, or you are in a meeting or working on a task and wouldn’t need any disturbance. Likewise, you can turn it on during your break periods or sleeping hours.
If you want to disable the feature, simply follow the same steps above.
Check Out: Open Phone vs Google Voice
Image by fauxels via Pexels
Be Watchful of What You Share
If you don’t want your employer monitoring your messages and calls, it’s best to tone down what you share either in chats, meetings, and channel conversations.
Be sure not to share any personal or sensitive information about you like your home phone number or address unless, of course, it is for work-related purposes.
You should also be mindful of the kinds of files you share. Always double-check to make sure that you are sharing the correct file and that it contains no personal or sensitive information about you.
Additionally, you should check the data on your profile and ensure that they are correct and that you’re okay sharing them. Your job title and contact information (if you want to share) should be accurate.
Aside from that, you should also be careful when you are sharing your screen during your meetings. Always confirm that you don’t have any tab with your personal or sensitive information visible during your screen-sharing.
Overall, you want to make sure that you’re not sharing any information that your employer does not need to know on the platform.
Check Out: Best Open-source Discord Alternatives
Image by fauxels via Pexels
Use Other Message Applications
Using other messaging applications like WhatsApp and Telegram to communicate with your work colleagues is another efficient option to consider if you have privacy concerns with Microsoft Teams.
These apps will ensure that all your messages and calls are between you and the intended recipient and can’t be intercepted by a third party. This provides an additional layer of security for you.
However, it’s best to check in with your company’s policies and regulations before using any messaging app. Also, consider how practical and efficient such apps will be for communications in your workplace.
For example, some of your team members might be solely focused on the Teams application during work hours. Sending them work-related messages on WhatsApp or Telegram will negatively impact your efficiency as an employee.
Create Private Channels on Microsoft Teams
Creating private channels is another smart way to keep your employer’s eyes off your business on Microsoft Teams. When you set up a channel, you can add other members of the team to share and receive messages from each other. To create a channel, follow the steps below:
- Go to the team you want to add a private channel to
- Click on the “More options” button (i.e the three dots) at the corner of the team’s name
- Select “Add Channel”
- Then enter the name of the channel and set the channel type to “Private”
- Finally, click “Add” to create the channel
Once you have created the private channel, you can add up to 250 team members to the channel. And as the creator, you’re the only one permitted to add and remove people from the group.
Regarding conversations and files shared, only members of the channel will have access to them. No external body can see the messages or files.
Image by Ivan Samkov via Pexels
Talk to your employer
It’s also okay to address whatever concerns you have about your privacy on Microsoft Teams to your employer. Let them know where you would want to draw the line regarding the information they have access to.
You should discuss and find a middle ground or other options available for you. Hopefully, they may be willing to work with you to find a solution that respects your privacy and restricts what they can see about you on Teams.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams has its perks and disadvantages when it comes to employee management in a remote work setting.
As much as it helps employers to gauge the productivity level of employees and make adjustments when needed, it can also make some workers uncomfortable since a lot of their data can be accessed by the employer.
If you are about to join any organization for the first time, you must check their policies and regulations regarding the use of Microsoft Teams.
Bear in mind that whatever information or data your employer can see will depend on the policies and compliance requirements governing the organization.
If you have any concerns regarding your privacy, you can also choose any of the options above to restrict information from your end.
