Body
Purpose
This article helps Teams and Teams Phone users understand the different Microsoft Presence and Teams Statuses. It explores how Presence/Status can be set manually, and how it is changed automatically.
Intended Audience
BRCC Teams users with an @brcc.edu account.
Details
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In Microsoft 365, there are two ways to let your co-workers know your availability: Presence and Status. While sometimes used interchangeably and functionally overlapping, there are distinct differences.
Contents
- Presence - An automatic indicator set by calendar events, active Teams Phone calls, device activity (desktop & mobile), and other Microsoft 365 apps that can indicate your scheduled or current availability.
- Status - A manual override set by the user in Teams. This overrides Presence and in some cases can be set for a duration of time.
Presence is computed by Microsoft 365. Status is set by the user. If you choose a Status, it will override your Presence.
Presence and Status are communication and collaboration cues, not a measure of employee performance. Devices, operating systems, and Teams versions make Presence an unreliable indicator of an employee's work status, habits, or quality.
You These are the default Presences you can set as a Status in Teams:
You can maually set your Status, or set a status message. A manual Status overrides your Presence.
To set your Status:
- Click your profile picture/icon in the top right corner of the Teams app
- Click your current Status to select a new one from the list
If you choose a Status it will override your Presence. You can set the "Duration" of this overide. When the duration ends, Presence resumes:
If you need to clear a Status you've set, click on your icon in the top right of the Teams App. Select the current Status, and clicking "Reset Status" to go back to your calculated Presence.
A universal concern from Teams users is that "Away" gives the impression they are not actively working. This is how Microsoft describes how "Away" Presence is determined.
- "Away" is set after ~5 minutes of peripheral (keyboard, mouse, other inputs) inactivity on your computer
- Smart Phone activity in the Teams App does not clear an "Away" Presence
- If working on your computer without interacting with the Teams App, peripheral (keyboard, mouse, other) input may not be registered by the Teams App and not clear the "Away" Presence, or prevent it from being set.
Presence and Status are communication and collaboration cues, not a measure of employee performance. Devices, operating systems, and Teams versions make Presence an unreliable indicator of an employee's work status, habits, or quality.