An update to Google Calendar has made it harder for colleagues to hide from office meetings, the company revealed.
The calendar app announced that it is changing the user interface currently used to display your workplace.
Previously, indicating whether you worked from home or at the office appeared in Google Calendar as an all-day event, cluttering people's schedules and often causing confusion.
Google calendar location change
Google Calendar first introduced the ability to share your work location in August 2021, and he hopes the new change will make it much easier to show colleagues where you are.
Going forward, the platform will use a "more compact format" that will sit at the top of your daily agenda, clearly different from invitations to meetings and other events on your calendar.
In a Google Workspace blog post detailing the update, the company notes that the feature will be turned off by default, so end users will need to make sure their company administrators have enabled it to participate properly.
Once activated, the tool will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and nonprofit organizations, as well as G Suite Business customers. However, users with personal Google accounts as well as Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, and G Suite Basic customers still won't be able to access.
This release is the latest in a series of updates and upgrades as the company looks to ensure users get the most out of Google Calendar when they return to the office in the new era of hybrid working. .
Google Calendar was also recently updated to display a variety of status options in Google Chat, giving you additional information about what you or your colleagues are up to. Google chat, which previously only showed when someone was out of the office, can now display a number of different statuses, including "in a meeting" or "focused."
Google Calendar also recently launched "Focus time" where users can block periods of time where they can avoid meetings and focus on real work.
Setting such a bookmark in your Google calendar will also allow users to decline meetings automatically, meaning there's no last-minute rush to get work done.