Have you ever experienced being continuously labeled as “Away” on Microsoft Teams, even when you’re sitting at your desk and able to chat? It can be annoying when your coworkers assume you’re not reachable, resulting in missed messages and disrupted communication.
In this article, I’ll guide you through the steps to ensure that your Microsoft Teams status stays “Available” when you’re actually ready and waiting to collaborate with your team. These tips and tricks have personally helped me maintain an accurate presence status, and I hope they will be of assistance to you as well.
Step 1: Adjusting Your Activity Status
The first step is to adjust your activity status settings in Microsoft Teams. Here’s how:
- Open Microsoft Teams and click on your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.
- In the dropdown menu, select “Settings” to open the settings panel.
- Go to the “General” tab and scroll down to the “Privacy” section.
- Under “Show my activity,” choose the option that suits you best. Selecting “Available” will keep your status as available all the time, unless you manually change it.
By adjusting these settings, you can ensure that your status is accurately reflected to your teammates, and they’ll know when you’re available for collaboration.
Step 2: Activating Focus Assist
Focus Assist is a feature in Windows 10 that helps minimize distractions and interruptions. By enabling Focus Assist, you can prevent notifications from disrupting your workflow and keeping your Microsoft Teams status consistently “Available.” Here’s how to activate it:
- Click on the Windows Start button and go to “Settings.”
- In the settings menu, select “System” and then choose “Focus Assist.”
- Toggle on the “Priority Only” or “Alarms Only” options to activate Focus Assist.
- Ensure that notifications from Microsoft Teams are allowed in the settings to receive important messages while in Focus Assist mode.
With Focus Assist enabled, you’ll be able to concentrate on your work without interruptions while maintaining an “Available” status in Microsoft Teams.
Step 3: Setting Up Out of Office Status
If you’re planning to be away from your desk for an extended period, it’s essential to set up an “Out of Office” status in Microsoft Teams. This will inform your colleagues that you’re temporarily unavailable and can help manage their expectations. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Microsoft Teams and click on your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.
- In the dropdown menu, select “Set status message.”
- In the status message box, type a brief message indicating your unavailability.
- Select the desired duration for your out of office status, or manually set an end date and time.
- Click “Done” to save your out of office status.
By setting an out of office status, you’ll ensure that your colleagues are aware of your temporary unavailability and can plan accordingly.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can take control of your Microsoft Teams status and ensure that it accurately reflects your availability. Adjusting your activity status, activating Focus Assist, and setting up out of office status are key strategies to maintain effective communication with your team.
Remember, maintaining a clear and accurate status enhances collaboration and helps build a highly productive remote working environment. So, go ahead and implement these tips to stay “Available” on Microsoft Teams!