Big Brother is watching: Can your boss track your location on Microsoft Teams?

Over Sunday roast yesterday (sadly not a braai, but we do our best in London), a friend and fellow expat mentioned he and his wife were both working from home on Monday.

“What time are you kicking off?” I asked.

“Or does working from home mean you can be a bit more flexible about when you log in?”

He laughed, but not in a particularly amused way.

“Mate, I need to be logged into MS Teams by 09:00 sharp. My boss can see exactly when I come online.”

Here’s a highly qualified, highly paid professional in his fifties, describing his work routine like a factory shift worker clocking in. It struck me as absurd, but then again, perhaps this is more the norm than I realised.

Microsoft Takes It Even Further

Which brings me to Microsoft’s latest development, and why that conversation over Yorkshire puddings suddenly feels even more relevant.

I’ll admit my first reaction when I read about Microsoft’s new Teams update was relief. My business runs on Google Workspace, so we’re spared from this particular development. At least for now.

But if you’re using Microsoft Teams at work, whether you’re in Johannesburg, Cape Town, or London like me, you’ll want to pay attention to what’s rolling out this December. Because it makes my friend’s 9am Teams login requirement look positively quaint.

What’s Actually Changing?

From December 2025, Microsoft Teams will automatically detect and update your work location when you connect to your organisation’s Wi-Fi network. The system identifies which specific building you’re in, giving your employer real-time visibility into whether you’re actually in the office or working remotely.

According to Microsoft’s 365 roadmap, when users connect to their organisation’s Wi-Fi, Teams will automatically set their work location to reflect the building they’re working in. The feature works by recognising corporate network connections and can even detect your location through computer peripherals like monitors.

Once your company’s IT admin enables it and you opt in, Teams automatically switches your status to show exactly where you are. The rollout is expected to begin in early December and complete by mid-month.

The South African Legal Angle

Here’s where it gets interesting for South African companies and workers. South Africa’s POPIA and RICA legislation is actually stricter than UK law when it comes to workplace monitoring.

Under POPIA, employers must obtain informed, specific and voluntary consent before monitoring employees. RICA goes further, requiring adequate notice through employment contracts or workplace policies before any surveillance begins. Simply put, South African employers can’t just flip a switch on this Teams feature without proper legal groundwork.

This matters particularly for the growing number of South Africans working remotely for SA companies, whether you’re still in Cape Town or you’ve relocated to London. According to recent Pnet data, remote work is quietly making a comeback in South Africa, with 3.6% of advertised roles now remote or hybrid.

The Privacy Question Everyone’s Asking

Microsoft frames this as a productivity tool for coordinating meetings and finding colleagues on large campuses. Fair enough. But let’s be honest about what many employees are thinking: this feels less like collaboration and more like surveillance.

The feature is technically opt-in, which sounds reassuring until you consider what “opt-in” really means when your employer asks you to enable it. How many people will feel they can genuinely say no?

Social media has erupted with concerns from workers who view this as micromanagement at its peak. Recent UK studies show that 85% of employers now admit to employee surveillance, up from less than 20% in 2023.

My friend’s experience is clearly part of a much larger trend. The question is whether constant digital monitoring creates a more productive workforce, or simply breeds anxiety and resentment among professionals who are perfectly capable of managing their own time.

What Can You Do?

Stay informed about whether your organisation plans to enable this feature. If you’re employed by a South African company, understand that POPIA gives you stronger privacy protections than many other jurisdictions.

Check your employment contract and workplace policies to see what monitoring clauses already exist. If your employer wants to enable Teams location tracking, they should be conducting a proper data protection impact assessment first.

Most importantly, have open conversations with your employer about expectations and boundaries now. December is here, and this rollout is expected to complete by mid-month. The feature can be disabled at the individual level even after your company enables it, though you’ll need to weigh whether refusing feels like a realistic option in your workplace.

The Bigger Picture

The tools we use for collaboration are increasingly doubling as tools for monitoring. This Teams update is just the latest example of technology that promises efficiency but delivers surveillance.

For South African professionals working remotely, whether for local or international companies, this is a trend worth watching closely and questioning even more closely. Your privacy rights matter, even when you’re working from home.