Yes, it can be acceptable—and even helpful—for people to move during virtual meetings, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the purpose of the meeting. The article highlights two key ideas: 1. Movement can support wellbeing and focus - Research and experience at Microsoft show that taking breaks and avoiding long periods of immobility can support sustainable productivity. - Teams that do walking meetings report that it doesn’t stop them from interacting effectively and can help people feel more creative, energized, and connected. - Immobility is a factor in meeting fatigue; light movement can help people stay engaged and healthier over time. 2. Use common sense and clear team norms Managers should help their teams distinguish between helpful movement and distracting multitasking: - Generally okay: - Walking outside or on a treadmill during large town halls, especially if muted and off camera. - Light stretching or moving around during longer calls. - Generally not okay: - Presenting a business review while doing household chores. - Strenuous exercise that leaves someone too winded to contribute. To make this work in practice, managers can: - Co-create explicit team norms about movement during meetings (for example, “walking is fine for listen-only meetings; be stationary and on camera when you’re presenting or making key decisions”). - Clarify expectations by meeting type: all-hands, 1:1s, workshops, decision meetings, etc. - Reinforce that wellbeing matters and that people are trusted to use good judgment. The goal is to reimagine meetings so they support both performance and wellbeing, rather than forcing everyone into a rigid, always-on-camera, always-at-desk model.

Managers can ask people to come into the office, but they should do it thoughtfully, transparently, and with flexibility in mind. 1. Start with the “why” If you’re asking people to be onsite, be clear about the purpose: - Is it for collaboration that’s easier in person (e.g., workshops, strategy sessions)? - Is it for relationship-building or onboarding? - Is it for access to specific equipment or spaces? Explaining why an in-person day matters helps employees understand the request and judge whether the trade-offs are reasonable. 2. Design for hybrid by default Many teams now include people who are fully remote or can’t match a specific office day. In those cases, managers should: - Negotiate how goals can be achieved in a hybrid format rather than assuming everyone can show up in person. - Use hybrid meeting best practices: - Equip meeting rooms with good, centralized audio. - Encourage in-person attendees to join the online meeting with cameras on so remote colleagues can see faces and reactions. - Assign a moderator to watch chat, manage raised hands, and make sure remote voices are heard. 3. Keep health, safety, and equity front and center - Make it explicit that health and safety are top priorities and that employees can raise concerns about in-person gatherings. - Acknowledge that some roles legitimately require more onsite time than others, and explain those reasons clearly so it doesn’t feel arbitrary or unfair. - Use regular 1:1s to check how the arrangement is working for each person and adjust where possible. 4. Set team agreements instead of one-size-fits-all rules Rather than rigid mandates, co-create team agreements that cover: - When and why you meet in person. - How you’ll support different work styles and constraints. - How you’ll keep remote and onsite employees equally informed and involved. Data from Microsoft’s internal surveys shows the impact of these conversations: 97% of employees who discussed how they work best with their manager said their manager supports their desired work style—7 percentage points higher than those who hadn’t had that conversation. In short, bring people together in person when it clearly adds value, design the experience so remote colleagues aren’t second-class participants, and communicate the rationale so the approach feels fair and thoughtful.

In hybrid and flexible environments, managers need to be intentional about how their communication habits affect the team—especially around email timing. 1. Recognize the signal your emails send The article notes a common pattern: when a manager sends an email at night, the team often starts working again, even if that wasn’t the intent. One manager saw a graph showing that a 7 p.m. email from them triggered a spike in team activity. Even if you say “no need to respond now,” people may not fully believe it when it comes from their manager. 2. Make expectations explicit To reduce pressure and confusion, managers can: - Add a clear note to their email signature, such as: “I work flexible hours. Please respond only during your normal working hours.” - Reinforce this message verbally in team meetings and 1:1s. - Align as a team on norms for response times (for example, “We aim to respond to non-urgent emails within one business day”). 3. Use tools to support healthy boundaries Modern email and collaboration tools can help you reimagine how communication works across time zones: - Use delay send / schedule send so messages arrive during agreed working hours for the recipient where possible. - Use channels or tags to distinguish urgent from non-urgent communication. - Encourage people to turn off notifications outside their working hours. 4. Watch for signs of overload After-hours email patterns can also be a useful signal: - If someone is consistently sending messages late at night, check in privately. - Ask whether they’re choosing those hours for flexibility or feeling overwhelmed. - Explore whether workload, deadlines, or personal circumstances need to be adjusted. 5. Focus on outcomes, not online presence Experts quoted in the article emphasize evaluating people based on outcomes rather than when they’re visibly online. That mindset supports flexibility while still holding a high bar for performance. By combining clear expectations, smart use of tools, and regular check-ins, managers can support flexible schedules across time zones without unintentionally creating an always-on culture.