In the past, Google Calendar allowed you to set your working location for specific days of the week. Users could indicate their working location directly in Google Calendar by following these steps:
- Open the Google Calendar app.
- Tap on “Create” or “Add” and then select “Working location.”
- To adjust the date range, tap on each date individually.
- Choose a working location: Home/Office.
- If you want to add a different location, type it in the bar at the top.
- Click on “Save.”
The company recently announced changes to the working location feature, aiming to provide users with improved context for in-person collaboration, location planning, meeting room management, preparation for virtual and in-room attendees, and other related activities.
In light of this, Google has introduced a feature in Calendar that enables users to set working locations. This feature allows you to indicate where you will be working from during specific time periods throughout the day. For instance, if you have a Zoom training scheduled between 10am and 1pm tomorrow, you can specify that you’ll be working from “Home” during those hours.
Additionally, if you plan to be in the office between 2pm and 5pm, the new update allows you to indicate that as well. This enhancement aims to make it easier for you to inform your colleagues about your whereabouts throughout the day. As explained in Google’s blog post, this feature ensures a more accurate reflection of your availability based on the physical location you have set, which may change over the course of the day.
The process is simple. Once you have access to the feature, you can set your working location by navigating to the main Calendar page, selecting “Create,” and clicking on “Working Locations.” From there, you can choose a date and specify your whereabouts during different timeframes.
The enhanced working location feature comes in response to the rising trend of hybrid work environments, where employees operate from various locations such as their homes, offices, or specific buildings. It allows users to designate their working location throughout the day, managing their schedules to improve productivity.
The rollout of this improved working location feature is already in progress. Rapid-release domains have immediate access, while scheduled-release domains will receive the update starting from July 14, 2023. A reporter from The Verge claims to have already gained access to her Workspace account.
Currently, the feature is accessible on various Workspace subscription tiers, including Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits, according to Google.
