A new Google Workspace update will make it harder for you or your co-workers to hide from your office meetings.
The company has announced (opens in new tab) it is allowing users to set their working location on Google Calendar by default, rather than having to enable the feature manually.
The move will let users of the calendar app show colleagues whether they're at home or in the office, making it easier to know if someone is around for a face-to-face meeting, or having to endure another video conferencing (opens in new tab) call.
Working from home
The feature was first announced back in August 2021 (opens in new tab) as part of a move to help the growth of hybrid working following the pandemic.
However, users were often left confused as showing whether you were working at home or in the office displayed on Google Calendar as an all-day event, cluttering up people's schedules.
This was fixed in a May 2022 update that introduced a “more compact format (opens in new tab)” that sits at the top of your daily schedule, distinctly different from meeting invites and other events in your calendar.
Until now, this feature had been toggled off by default, meaning end users had to make sure their company admins had activated it.
The change is rolling out now, and will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits, as well as legacy G Suite Business customers.
However Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, and Frontline, as well as legacy G Suite Basic customers, won't get access, nor will users with personal Google Accounts.
Recently, Google Calendar was also upgraded to show a range of status options in Google Chat, giving you extra information on what you or your co-workers are up to. Previously limited to just showing when someone was out of office, Google Chat is now able to show a number of different statuses, including “in a meeting” or “in focus time”.
Google Calendar also recently received a “Focus time” feature, where users can block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.
Setting such a marker in your Google Calendar will also allow users to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.
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