Pulled up on my teams light

[outlanderish]

I work from home full time with occasional travel. My employer allows either a half hour or one hour lunch break, based on personal choice. I typically don’t take a formal break instead, I take brief pauses throughout the day (e.g. five minutes here and there to make a coffee, play with my dog, or put a load of laundry on), while otherwise remaining at my desk and working.

Recently, my manager called me to ask why I appear “orange” (away) a lot during the day. I explained that I take small, informal breaks rather than a long formal one. She told me this was unacceptable, even though my approach has not negatively impacted my productivity. In fact, I’m often more efficient this way. I also need to get up regularly as it hurts my back sitting for a long period of time

Other colleagues especially smokers also step away from their desks regularly, but it seems to be accepted for them.

She did speak to her manager first. It is in the OP.

This thread is absolutely unhinged. Pretty sure it’s just rage tourists now coming here to suggest that the OP shouldn’t be taking breaks. What is this, Soviet USSR?
A good manager trusts their team. If the work gets done, it gets done. We should all be pushing for flexible working, you don’t need to be chained to a desk responding to big brother. Geez.

But she still doesn't know why what she is doing is unacceptable. I certainly wouldn't be changing my working pattern w/o explanation.

Just put your mouse on a watch with a second hand...

Not really, because if her work is still the same and she's always "working" then the issue would change from incompetence not laziness (I'm still working on the basis that you don't get pulled up on these things if you're a high performer, in my experience). Or it will really backfire and OP won't be able to WFH anymore or worse get fired for gross misconduct as other people have mentioned.

The thought of someone timing how long it takes a grown adult to make a coffee/stretch/open a window!
I'd bet my bottom dollar many people who physically turn up to work spend plenty of time in the kitchen/loos/talking to someone in the corridor. Not to mention those who smoke, who have always been afforded special status.
I used to work with a non-smoker who made a point of going out for 'fag breaks without the fag' whenever smoking colleagues went out for a smoke.

@LittleBitofBread give over, no one is saying anyone is timed! But people can easily break off without changing teams status. Many organisations even have a policy of setting at least five or ten minutes between on line meetings to allow staff to move, grab a drink etc

I honestly doubt many managers notice staff being away unless it's regularly and lengthy periods where they are out of contact during the day, which plays right into the hands of those who believe wfh is a skive and ultimately spoiling it for everyone if it ends up with blanket policies of f/t in the office.

I've googled this a bit more - lots of info out there if you look. Microsoft just intended that indicator to say "this person is using Teams right now", that's it. (It does not even do this reliably.)

So to everyone responding to the OP assuming it only goes inactive when you step away from your desk, that is not the problem. It can show as inactive if you're working in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, using web-based tools, etc.

I think the only solution to the problem is to get HR or your boss to understand this. Perhaps ask sweetly if they would prefer you to write all documents directly in the Teams chat, rather than use MS Word?

That's nothow it works, at least none I've used. It shows green until I'm not doing anything at all on my computer for 5.mina, then it goes to orange.

@NotSafeInTaxis Are you sure, though, because if you can see your own green light then that suggests you're still in the teams app? Might depend on your version, anyway, but I found various threads like this: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msteams/forum/all/new-microsoft-teams-changing-status-to-frequently/1a527435-ad69-4fd1-b0ab-7d95c85353e0?page=1

I wouldn't use it as a productivity metric as a manager, put it like that.

Mine doesn’t recognise activity in things like zoom but generally everything else. Though mine said offline for about 2 weeks once. I was there but I couldn’t even change it manually!

@outlanderish has she explained why it is unacceptable?

I once had a member of staff who appeared away a lot during the day, she was also ineffective though and subject to a performance review. I asked our head of IT if the colours on Teams could be used as evidence of non productivity and was told in no uncertain terms that it cannot/ must not because it can be inaccurate - particularly if they're using an online version of Teams, rather than the app. Even aside from people wfh needing screen breaks the same as office workers, managers cannot rely on this as a means of scrutiny. What if someone has printed out a document and is at their desk, reading it and making notes? I've done this many times. I've still been working, but because my mouse/ keyboard isn't active then it shows I'm away.

Mine does not work that way. It shows as green as long as I am at my computer, have Team logged in and my mouse moves or I am typing, regardless of what app I am using at the time. It times out after a few minutes of non-activity, of which I have lots because my role requires reading and thinking, not just typing. I can even be on a Teams call and it will time out and make it look like I am 'away'. It was frustration with this kind of nonsense that led to me turning it permanently to 'offline', regardless of how hard I am working (or not!)
Teams status is an inappropriate tool for monitoring output or presence at a desk.

Ultimately, though, unless the OP's manager can actually truthfully say her productivity/performance is down, they don't have a case.

Same here.

If they really want to, they can get copies of every internet page you’ve visited. This happened to someone I know. I certainly wouldn’t be watching YouTube.

The easiest solution is just to do what you’re paid to do - actually sit and work.

I do work from home so I know how tempting housework is, but you really should be working.

My brother used to use a ticking clock under his mouse which worked to keep it “active”. Plug in USB and other contraptions are just asking for trouble.

Just go into the team application and click
on it. If you are not on teams and are doing something else then it flags the inactivity - but this inactivity is only
in teams it didn’t mean you aren’t doing something else ….

I am often waiting for documents to load or other long boring tasks etc so I just watch stuff on my iPad so they can check every page I have accessed.

Ask for an occupational health assessment for your back and get it formally recorded

It stays open at all times and is linked in to outlook etc. If I'm working in other apps my teams light stays green. If I'm in a zoom or teams meeting it automatically shows busy.

Be careful of the mouse jigglers, companies can detect them.

You can get undetectable ones that do not need software

@One3C really-that’s interesting. Our IT guy said they were all detectable.

It’s the law that you take a minimum break f 30 minutes whether you want it or not. You probably aren’t getting paid for it so take and take your few minute break for your back as well. Let your manager know it’s you going the toilet or making a cuppa or stretching your back.

He's lying 🤥. They want you to think they can tell, but there's quite a few they can't.
I have one but I told IT I do. It's to stop the VPN dropping when I'm away more than 5 mins.