This Microsoft Teams update could bring the worst thing about high school to your work calls

Your high school cliques could soon be a part of workplace calls due to a new update coming to Microsoft Teams.

The video conferencing platform is making a tweak to its Together Mode that will allow meeting organizers to assign specific seats to certain participants.

This means that teams of co-workers, friends or even just random groups can now be placed into specific areas on a Microsoft Teams call, hopefully making things a bit tidier and easier on the eye.

You can’t sit with us

Revealed in the summer of 2020 as a way of connecting people seperated by the initial pandemic lockdowns Microsoft Teams Together Mode (opens in new tab) looked to bring all attendees into a shared virtual background (with options such as a classroom or boardroom) in an attempt to make it feel like you’re sitting in the same soom with everyone else.

In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap (opens in new tab), the new update is still listed as in development, with an anticipated launch date of September 2022.

Upon release, the company hopes to launch the feature to all Microsoft Teams users across the world on desktop and Mac.

The news is the latest update to Together Mode as the company looks to ensure Microsoft Teams remains relevant and useful for its customers.

A recent update now means that meeting hosts have the option to enable Together Mode for all participants in a bid to help foster togetherness for those teams perhaps still seperated. Users can also now activate Together Mode across Teams calls of all sizes, even one-on-ones.

In 2021, Microsoft Teams also rolled out a series of new presenter modes designed to help Teams users flex their presentation style to the occasion. Standout Mode, for example, seats the presenter’s video feed in front of the slide deck, while Reporter Mode places content above the shoulder in the style of a news broadcast.