Modern workplaces are evolving rapidly, with hybrid and flexible work becoming the norm rather than the exception. To support this shift, Microsoft has introduced Microsoft Places — an AI-powered workplace experience designed to help organisations optimise office space, improve in-person collaboration, and enhance employee productivity.
Integrated directly into familiar tools like Microsoft Teams and Outlook, Microsoft Places helps businesses bring structure and intelligence to flexible work environments.
What is Microsoft Places?
Microsoft Places is a workplace coordination platform built into Microsoft 365 that enables organisations to manage how, when, and where employees work.
It uses AI-driven insights and real-time data to help teams:
- Coordinate in-office days more effectively
- Improve collaboration and workplace presence visibility
- Optimise office space utilisation
- Enable intelligent desk and room booking
- Support hybrid meeting planning
By embedding features directly into daily workflows, Microsoft Places helps organisations maximise the value of both remote and in-office work.
Core Capabilities
Microsoft Places includes a wide range of features designed to support flexible work models and smarter workplace management.
Work Plans & Workplace Presence
Employees can set their planned work location in advance, making it easier for teams to coordinate in-office collaboration.
Intelligent Booking Experiences
Users can book rooms, shared workspaces, or individual desks with rich metadata such as:
- Accessibility details
- A/V capabilities
- Floor plans and photos
- Workspace availability
Hybrid Event Coordination
Meeting organisers can track attendance preferences, allowing participants to RSVP as in-person or virtual attendees.
Automatic Work Location Detection
Microsoft Places can automatically update a user’s work location based on signals such as corporate Wi-Fi connectivity.
Workplace Analytics
Organisations gain visibility into occupancy trends, enabling data-driven decisions about:
- Office capacity planning
- Space optimisation
- Workplace experience improvements
Licensing Overview
Microsoft Places is available to users with most Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans, including:
- Microsoft 365 Business plans
- Enterprise (E1, E3, E5)
- Education (A1, A3, A5)
- Frontline worker plans (F1, F3)
- Microsoft Teams standalone and Essentials
Some advanced functionality currently requires Teams Premium, but Microsoft is transitioning to a per-space licensing model from April 2026.
This means:
- Desk booking will require space-based licensing rather than user-based licensing
- Occupancy analytics and auto-release features will depend on space licenses
- Existing Teams Premium customers retain features until subscription renewal
AI-Powered Workplace Intelligence
This also introduces AI-driven capabilities such as:
- Intelligent room recommendations
- Copilot-assisted meeting room booking
- Automated workspace optimisation insights
These features require Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing.
Important Deployment Considerations
To fully utilise Microsoft Places, organisations must configure a structured workplace hierarchy including:
- Buildings
- Floors
- Rooms
- Workspaces and desks
Additionally, organisations using Exchange hybrid environments should note that Places functionality is limited for users with on-premises mailboxes.
Migrating mailboxes to Exchange Online ensures full feature availability and accurate workplace presence sharing.
Why Microsoft Places Matters
As organisations continue adopting hybrid work strategies, Microsoft Places provides a centralised, intelligent solution to manage workplace experiences.
It helps organisations:
- Improve employee collaboration
- Reduce unused office space costs
- Enhance hybrid meeting experiences
- Make data-driven workplace decisions
- Support long-term flexible work strategies
By combining AI insights with integrated Microsoft 365 workflows, Microsoft Places enables businesses to build a smarter, more connected workplace.
