Microsoft Places is now available

Microsoft Places is a workforce management platform designed for organisations who use hybrid and flexible working. Users can set their working patterns and locations, helping them to coordinate in-person meetings, book workspaces, and plan schedules efficiently.

It was first announced in 2022 and is now generally available, as of January 2025. Microsoft is currently offering a one month free trial of Teams Premium to promote its release.

Key features

There will be three levels of features available to users, depending on their subscription to other Microsoft licenses.

Core features
These are available with any qualifying Microsoft 365 Business subscription through integrations with Outlook and Teams:

Users can set work plans and location schedules in advance to show when they will be in the office or at home
Team members can view coworkers’ presence and schedules via a ‘Places Card’ in Outlook Calendar
Offers enhanced RSVP to confirm whether users will attend in person or remotely
Meeting invites can specify in-person attendance
Users can add a ‘presence signal’ on Teams to show where they are working

Premium features
These additional features are available to users who pay for a Teams Premium license (£5.80 per user/month + VAT):

Rooms and individual desk booking
Users and teams can receive intelligent suggestions to help plan their week
Free rooms automatically released
Space analytics

AI features
These features will only be available to users with a Microsoft Copilot subscription, such as AI-managed bookings and team guidance. Copilot can also analyse data and trends over time. Some of these capabilities are still in development.

Microsoft Places
Microsoft Places shows promise for organisations looking to optimise hybrid workspaces and manage hybrid working, although there are restrictions to note. Some features will require the purchase of additional hardware, such as occupancy sensors, and organisations using third-party workspace booking systems may face compatibility challenges. It’s also unclear which version of Outlook the features can be integrated with – older Outlook clients may be unable to offer full functionality.