New calendar status options coming to Microsoft Teams

Going through another unnecessary Microsoft Teams conversation may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new addition to the service.

Microsoft has revealed that it is working on a feature for its video conferencing tool that will allow users to update their Microsoft Teams status prior to proposed meetings.

The feature should mean that users can mark when they are free for a Microsoft Teams meeting, or alternately when they are too busy to attend or are out of the office.

Update for Microsoft Teams Calendar

In the official Microsoft 365 roadmap entry for the new feature, officially titled “Microsoft Teams: Calendar Show As in Meetings,” Microsoft explains how it can benefit users with full schedules.

The company notes how it would allow both organizers and participants in a Microsoft Teams meeting to choose a “Show Calendar As” status to display their availability, with options such as free, busy or OOF.

Organizers can also select private meeting functionality, which allows users to hide meeting details from other users when their calendar is shared.

The feature is still in development for now, with Microsoft estimating a general release date of June 2022. The company says that, when available, the add-on will be provided to all PC and Mac users.

The update is the latest in a series of features introduced by Microsoft in an effort to make hybrid working and online collaboration less painful for users around the world.

The company recently unveiled a separate update titled “working hours and location” that allows users to set up a notification that shows where they are working, whether at home, in the office or somewhere else in particular, giving managers more insight into where their key employees are.

Users of its Outlook email service will also be able to display a second calendar type, with the company noting that users have “a variety of global calendars” to choose from, including the Chinese lunar calendar, Indian calendar and Islamic calendar will soon be available as options in Outlook so that certain holidays or celebrations are not missed.

Source: tech radar