To ask, if you work remotely/from home do you worry about your Teams status going yellow/'Away'

[88tthh]

I've recently started a work from home job and I get quite anxious about my Teams status going to the yellow 'Away' status, as I worry I'll get picked up on it or people will think I'm taking excessive breaks from my laptop.

For example, yesterday my status went to Away a couple of times when I went to the loo, and when I went and made a coffee. I get stressed and try and rush back to my laptop, as 5 minutes goes by so quickly. I know if I was in the office I definitely wouldn't be panicking about the amount or duration of toilet breaks, for example, yet at home I do. I also time my lunch hour down to the minute to make sure I'm back at my desk after exactly an hour (or sometimes less).

I follow some influencers online who have similar work from home jobs and I see them pottering around putting washes on and even taking quick showers during the work day, yet also spending their lunch hour at 1-hour exercise classes (so they're not doing these things during their lunch breaks). I guess the normal is probably somewhere between their approach and my approach.

I pay very little attention to Teams tbh, it's a horrible app. So, no, I don't.

I just pop myself on DND when I go to the toilet or tea, I take calls as part of a team so other people will pick up anything I miss.

Wow. Jigglers and something heavy on a keyboard whilst on Word.

This sort of thing is why companies are getting people back in the office.

Putting a wash on is fine. Going to the gym, long shower afterwards and then meeting a mate for a coffee is not fine (basically anything that goes over your lunchbreak time) It's clearly taking the piss. Everyone knows what taking the piss looks like. We've all worked with people like that.

I can't believe the amount of people conning their employers here by pretending to work and even going as far as buying equipment to make the mouse move.

OP - don't worry about the very few minutes you're away from your desk whilst making a tea or going to the toilet. It's fine. No-one is counting the seconds you're away from your screen and if they are, you need to change companies.

I've been using this mouse with built in jiggler for over a year. Its great and the charge lasts ages, though you can still use it wired whilst charging.

Seenda Rechargeble Wireless Mouse Jigglers, Multi-Device Bluetooth LED Mouse (USB+Bluetooth+Bluetooth Connection) with Build-in Mouse Mover Compatible with Mac OS, Windows, Android- Purple https://amzn.eu/d/2UHkIiC

I don't, no. I would be very surprised if your LM or people in your team have enough time to monitor your teabreaks. If you're getting your work done even less reason to worry.

What is the world coming to where people are buying things to move their mice while they have a poo

Do you track other people's status on Teams? I imagine not so why would anyone want to take the time out of their busy day to track your time?

I keep mine permanently on Away to deter people sending pointless pings!

I know! Just do the work and don't take the piss

Wouldn't occur to me to notice. No one cares as long as the work gets done on time and to a good standard.

basically anything that goes over your lunchbreak time isn't even a consideration where I work. I dont get paid by the hour, and I'm an adult with autonomy who is trusted to do my job. Couldn't work somewhere that micromanaged my lunchbreaks.

I used to worry at my last job, they didn't let us work from home outside of the official lockdowns during covid, and during the lockdowns the senior management would call you on teams at any random time to check what you were up to so I always felt like I had to run to or from the loo or to make a drink.

In my current role now, they're much much better and I never worry, and I work from home 3 days a week.

I'm the same OP, though I know colleagues aren't doing half the work I am so I shouldn't be as worried, and yes on office days I could be making tea and chatting for 20 mins at a time but it feels different as you're 'present'.

Still loooove wfh though.

I've been WFT for 3 years now I can't say I've ever thought about this. But my work is very much so output based.

I pop off to the gym and leave the mouse on a cheap analogue alarm clock.

Although it does get awkward when someone pops up saying you're green, can we have a quick chat...

This is genius!

It would still go yellow if you don't touch your mouse for a while even if set to busy, mine does anyway.

People will work and behave to the quality of management.

Every job has elements which require time not twiddling a mouse or keyboard. Any manager with a brain cell should know this and be looking at work, not presenteeism on a piece of software.
Piss poor managers who measure work by team statuses rather than actual work outputs will trigger employees behaving accordingly.

I never even think about it and don’t care. I do my work and that’s it. Of course you need loo and tea breaks OP!

Nobody is keeping tabs on you where I work. I do worry about it still though. Sometimes I set it as amber/away on purpose, even when I’m there though.

No, doesn't bother me. I don't watch or judge other peoples team status so just assume they have better things to do than watch mine.

You've missed the point though. OP isn't taking the piss, she is worried about being thought of that way presumably by overbearing managers hence my suggestion of something heavy on the keyboard.

I don't do that myself because I don't work in the type of environment that requires me to worry about it.

No, I do a lot of work on my WFH days and my output reflects it. I use pomodoro timings (25 mins work, 5 mins break) for my workday to ensure I maintain productivity and take a shorter lunch hour. Work have never had any problem with this and it means I get stuff done rather than circling around my to do list, dithering for hours instead.

Never crossed my mind to worry. It sets itself to Away when I'm working on a document! Teams is a law unto itself.

I used to worry about this when I WFH full time even when I was just taking a short break but I now have a different job with hybrid working and no one in the office has ever commented on the time some one is away on Teams. In fact most have their status set to away.

Not all jobs require constant attention or need you to stare at the screen all day.

Mine would beep when I needed to be active so I'd have a mouse mover going along with an extension cable for my headset so I could sit somewhere more comfortable and do a bit of knitting.

Just put something heavy enough on the insert key, keeps mine green.

Mine went through a few days of always saying ‘away’ regardless, even when I was in calls! No one takes any notice!