Written by By: Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA
In the age of remote and hybrid work, collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams have become essential tools for communication, project management, and productivity. But as organizations increasingly leverage these platforms to monitor employee activity, a troubling trend has emerged: the transformation of Teams into ‘bossware.’
Bossware refers to software used by employers to surveil workers—tracking keystrokes, mouse movements, time spent in meetings, and even presence indicators. While Microsoft Teams wasn’t initially designed for this purpose, its integration with Microsoft 365’s productivity analytics and its real-time status features have made it a convenient tool for digital oversight. And that’s where the problem begins.
The Slippery Slope of Surveillance
When Teams is used to monitor employee behavior—such as how often someone is ‘available,’ how long they’re in meetings, or how quickly they respond to messages—it shifts from being a collaboration tool to a control mechanism. This undermines trust, erodes psychological safety, and can lead to a toxic work environment. Surveillance doesn’t measure productivity—it measures presence. And presence isn’t always a proxy for performance.
Why This Approach Fails
1. It penalizes neurodivergent workers. For employees with ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergent traits, productivity often looks different. They may work in bursts, need breaks to regulate focus, or prefer asynchronous communication. Bossware-style monitoring punishes these natural rhythms and reinforces ableist norms (Vargas-Salas et al., 2025; Marschall, 2025).
2. It discourages deep work. Constant status checks and pressure to appear ‘active’ can lead to performative busyness. Employees may feel compelled to stay online or in meetings just to be seen, rather than doing meaningful, focused work.
3. It erodes trust. Surveillance signals that leadership doesn’t trust its team. This can lead to disengagement, burnout, and high turnover—especially among remote workers who already face challenges in visibility and inclusion (Millington, 2025).
4. It’s a poor substitute for good management. If managers rely on Teams to tell them who’s working, they’re missing the bigger picture. Effective leadership involves setting clear goals, offering support, and evaluating outcomes—not micromanaging activity.
What Should Teams Be Used For?
Microsoft Teams shines when it’s used for:
– Facilitating communication across time zones and work styles.
– Supporting collaboration through shared documents, channels, and meetings.
– Creating inclusive workflows that accommodate different needs and preferences.
– Empowering autonomy by enabling asynchronous updates and flexible scheduling.
A Better Way Forward
Instead of using Teams as bossware, organizations should:
– Focus on outcomes, not activity.
– Design inclusive policies that respect neurodiversity and remote work realities.
– Train managers to lead with empathy and clarity, not control.
– Use analytics ethically, with transparency and consent.
Remote work isn’t about replicating the office online—it’s about reimagining work for flexibility, equity, and sustainability. Turning collaboration tools into surveillance systems is a step backward.
References
Millington, Q. (2025). Bossware: How workplace surveillance harms wellbeing and productivity. HRZone. https://hrzone.com/bossware-how-workplace-surveillance-harms-wellbeing-and-productivity/
Marschall, A. (2025, June 18). Neurodivergence in the workplace. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neurodiversity-affirming-therapy/202506/neurodivergence-in-the-workplace
Vargas-Salas, O., Alcazar-Gonzales, C., Fernández-Fernández, F. A., Molina-Rodríguez, F. N., Paredes-Velazco, R., & Carcausto-Zea, M. L. (2025). Neurodivergence and the workplace: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 63(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/10522263251337564
Mukherjee, A. (2025, November 4). Does Microsoft Teams’ location tracking overcomplicate employee surveillance? The HR Digest. https://www.thehrdigest.com/does-microsoft-teams-location-tracking-overcomplicate-employee-surveillance/
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Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 