Millions of employees now commute from their bed to a desk at home. After the initial euphoria of skipping smog-filled traffic jams or cramped train compartments, a new reality has dawned in which the work day blends into the rest of life, like a never-ending conference call. Microsoft Corp. has a solution.
The company’s Teams collaboration software is adding the ability to schedule a "virtual commute.” It won’t start your car or ride the subway for you, but it will remind users about the end of the work day, suggest tasks to help workers wind down and create a little mental space before kids’ homework, dinner, laundry and other obligations come crashing in.
For example, Teams will prompt users to list tasks as completed or add them to tomorrow’s to-do list, while asking workers to rate how their day went and suggesting guided meditation, through an integration with the Headspace app.