4 min read · Jan 20, 2024
In the modern workplace dominated by digital collaboration tools, the question of privacy and surveillance has become more critical than ever.
In this article, we are uncovering the details of Microsoft Teams’ surveillance features and tell you what your employer can see!
Why Data Security Is Your Shield Against Disaster!
Companies have confidential information including trade secrets, employee details, audit findings, etc. Unfortunately, since there is an enormous demand for this kind of information, it can be quickly sold on the darknet.
Confidential data leaks can have a variety of effects on an organization. For instance, it will undermine partners’ and customers’ trust, which will eventually hurt the organization’s standing in the marketplace.
What Your Boss Can REALLY See on Microsoft Teams!
Every action leaves a digital footprint that your employer can trace. From your one-on-one chat messages to the creation and deletion of teams, your employer has a panoramic view of your digital interactions.
Your employer can see the following through Microsoft Teams tracking functions:
- All of your one-on-one, group chat messages (including the memes you sent
- All the Teams chats that you deleted
- All the actions you take inside of Microsoft Teams such as creating a team, deleting a team, logging in, logging out
- All the content you created in Microsoft Teams channels including the tabs that you added
- All the apps that you use inside of Microsoft Teams. Your employer can see the name of the applications you use but not the content that you create inside of those applications. In Teamflect‘s example, your employer can see that you logged in to Teamflect, but they can not see the recognitions, feedback, or tasks you created without logging in to Teamflect.
- All the Microsoft Teams meetings that you created or joined — subject, time, duration, attendees, etc.
- All the Microsoft Teams meetings that you recorded — including the content
- All the files that you created inside of Microsoft Teams. Since Microsoft Teams uses OneDrive and Sharepoint, all the files that you create are indexed and searchable by your company administrators.
- The brand and model of the headset you use when you join meetings
- The number of messages, and meetings that you created
- The IP address that you use to login to Microsoft Teams
- The device that you use to login into Microsoft Teams
- The operating system of the mobile device that you login to Microsoft Teams
Deleted, But Not Forgotten
Your employer, if you mean the admins at your company, can see the messages you erased from Teams chat.
In Teams, a message that you delete disappears from both your view and the view of other conversation participants.
Nevertheless, the communication might still be kept on Microsoft’s servers, and administrators at your company might be able to view it using Microsoft 365’s compliance features or tools.
Can I Hide From My Employer On Microsoft Teams? The Answer Is…
The answer is sadly no. So, using an alternate messaging platform like WhatsApp or Telegram could be a smart choice if you want to keep your digital communications a little more undercover.
These private messaging apps are usually not monitored by your company, in contrast to Microsoft Teams, which is frequently monitored for compliance and administrative reasons.
It’s a more relaxed and personal atmosphere for chats unrelated to work, where you can share memes, plan your weekend, or talk about anything unrelated to the nine-to-five.
For that reason, these messaging apps can be the answer you seek if you want to avoid the professional monitoring environment and hide personal conversations from the workplace.
Discover the Game-Changing Alternative to Boost Productivity!
Putting aside the obvious security risks, depending solely on employee monitoring might not be the best way to boost productivity.
Instead of overdoing Microsoft Teams monitoring, managers can put more effort into creating a more inclusive Microsoft Teams atmosphere for their employees.
In the end, reciprocal trust turns out to be the most effective technique for employee engagement and performance management.
The better option for employee monitoring than Microsoft Teams is to increase accountability. This is a simple yet effective approach. We think Teamflect can make a huge difference in this situation.
There is really no need to monitor employees if they genuinely control their duties, objectives, and goals. That’s what you would refer to as a culture of empowerment!
If you want to try Teamflect for free you can do so by clicking right here!
