Microsoft Teams "Virtual Commute"

There are many of us who have been fortunate enough to be able to shift their work from office to home. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to do that, and I am certanly grateful that my two (adult) kids have been able to do so as well. By no means will I ever complain about my ability to keep my income intact during a pandemic. No way no how.

But that’s not to say that it’s easy either. At first we just put our heads down and plowed through it, with the kind of determination that says, “we’ll get through it.” But as the weeks and months carry on while WFH, it gets harder and harder to not feel like every day is all day and all the same. No breaks. No unplugs. No checkouts.

Technology has made it possible to WFH, so I remain thankful that we can. And thankful for the tech innovations that continue to come out to make it a little bit easier.

Microsoft Teams in fact just announced a suite of upgrades coming soon to make the Teams (similar to Zoom if you’re not familiar with Teams) experience better. One of those upgrades is a “Virtual Commute.”

Yes, believe it or not, many folks are saying that they actually miss that commute every day. A chance to have some downtime. Read a book. Catchup on news. Depending on how you commute, just meditate a bit and breathe. Right now with our WFH environment, there’s really no way to do any of that. The day and night just blur together and back again.

So if we are working virtually, why not commute virtually?!? From your bedroom to your home office, whatever your home “office” may be. Evidently the feature will include various ways to utilize this new commute time including reflections on the day and to do lists, among other things.

I appreciate the effort for sure. Technology has made all of this possible and we will definitively rely on it moving forward unlike we have ever before. And making new advances available to make our lives a bit easier is something we should all embrace.

I’m not sure I’ll personally add it to my routine, but I’ll give it a try I suppose. I’m sure there are many who will love it.

I’m all for that. What’s your experience? JIM