A small, but important new Microsoft Teams update could help you stand out from the crowd when it comes to catching the eye of your boss - for better or worse.
The video conferencing service has rolled out "reactions" to larger meetings being held on the platform - specifically "town halls", where employees gather together in a single location to hear updates from senior management.
If you haven't used them yet, the reactions (already present in everyday, smaller Microsoft Teams chats) include the likes of simple "like" and "love" symbols - but so will laughing, surprise and even a "sad face". So if you're looking to express yourself on a company-wide call, make sure you're pressing the right reaction, or face the consequences.
Microsoft Teams meeting reactions
The feature is listed as only being available to customers who have signed up for the Premium level of Microsoft Teams for now.
Released in February 2023 and costing $7 / £5.80 per user per month, Microsoft Teams Premium offers a more personal experience due to a selection of AI-boosted plugins and features powered by GPT 3.5, the AI language model developed by OpenAI, which is able to automate certain mundane tasks surrounding meetings as part of its “intelligent recap” feature.
In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes, similar to the standard edition of Microsoft Teams, reactions will appear as a continuous stream on the side of the screen - so if you do pick the wrong reaction, it could be quickly hidden (although everyone will be able to see it's you).
The feature, which was first reported in February 2024, is rolling out now to Premium users across Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.
It is the latest in a series of tweaks made to Microsoft Teams reactions and emoji within the last few weeks, as the company looks to make its platform more customizable (and hopefully more enjoyable) for users everywhere.
It recently revealed Microsoft Teams users will be able to add and share custom emojis and reactions within chats, adding an extra level of personalization. Similar to its rival Slack, emojis will be available within the user’s tenant in chat and channels via the emoji and reaction menus - with up to 5,000 custom emojis able to be added.
Microsoft Teams has also launched virtual avatars, offering users more customization options while also livening up the look and feel of calls, alongside new visual effects including animated frames and video hue altering, on top of existing tools that allow users to blur backgrounds and soften the video feed to mask and obscure blemishes.
