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Dining Services
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams

Dining Teams Transition

Frequently Asked Questions

Check back occasionally as additional answers will be posted as questions come in.

  • Yes. In today’s digital environment, it is reasonable for Dining Services to expect employees to use their personal cell phones for work-related communication through Microsoft Teams. This includes calls and messaging, which help ensure timely and effective coordination, especially for operational updates and shift management. This expectation is compliant with both federal and Utah labor laws.

  • Managers should walk employees through the “Getting Started” section of our Teams documentation during onboarding. This ensures notifications are set up correctly so employees don’t miss important messages or calls.

    Learn More About Managing Notifications

  • Chats in Microsoft Teams are direct messages between individuals or small groups, separate from formal Teams or Channels. They’re ideal for quick conversations, asking questions, or sharing updates without needing to involve a larger group. You can send text, share files, and start video or audio calls right from a chat. Unlike Channels, chats are private to the participants and not visible to others in your organization.

    Teams are workspaces created for groups, where members can collaborate, share files, and hold organized conversations. Within each Team, Channels help break things down by topic, making it easier to keep discussions focused and find relevant information. For example, our Dining Services team has channels for Deliveries, Ordering, and Technology, so each conversation stays in its lane. All employees see the General channel where general announcements and information is posted.

  • Since applicants are not yet employees, it’s appropriate to contact them using their personal phone numbers and email addresses. Once they are hired, they should be introduced to Microsoft Teams and Outlook during onboarding. After that point, communication should shift to official BYU channels, and personal contact methods should no longer be necessary.

    For BYU employees outside of Dining Services, Microsoft Teams is widely used across campus and is a convenient way to connect. Outlook and RingCentral are also effective tools for communication. Keep in mind that BYU policy requires members of the campus community to use their BYU-provided email addresses when sending emails to one another.

  • Yes — full-time employees should use Microsoft Teams for all work-related communication with student employees. This is part of our effort to centralize and secure communication across Dining Services.

    While the policy specifically applies to communication with student employees, we strongly encourage staff to use Teams for communicating with each other as well. Leading this change from the top helps set the tone for the rest of the organization. All group messaging (including group messaging that only includes staff employees) should occur over Teams.

    We recognize that a few staff members may not have smartphones, and for them, using Teams may not be practical. In those cases, exceptions may be approved by the upline director — but wherever possible, Teams should be the default.

Communication sent to employees

  • 10/31 Announcement

    Starting November 3, 2025, Dining staff will begin using Microsoft Teams for all work-related calling and messaging. This change is intended to streamline communication and eliminate the need to use personal phone numbers for work purposes.

    Employees should no longer use personal texting or calling to communicate with colleagues or supervisors within Dining Services. All such communication should now take place through Microsoft Teams.

    • The Chat function in Teams allows you to directly message, call, or video call other employees. All members of the BYU community are included in the Teams directory, so you won’t need to track or share personal contact information.
    • The Teams function within Microsoft Teams allows groups to collaborate. You’ll automatically be added to the Team for your area. Each area will post announcements in the General channel, and may choose to use additional channels and tools as needed.

    Please review the information page at https://dining.byu.edu/teams to learn more about how to utilize Teams. Your BYU.edu email gives you access to Microsoft Teams. Simply download the app and sign in using your BYU credentials.

    If you have additional concerns, please reach out to your manager.

  • 10/24 Announcement

    To improve communication across BYU Dining Services, all calling and messaging between Dining employees will now take place through Microsoft Teams. This policy change is effective Monday, November 3rd and applies to all Dining Services employees.

    Why the Change?

    • Efficiency: Teams eliminates the need for area-specific call lists and reduces reliance on personal contact info. With Workday’s privacy settings, accessing personal contact details has become more limited than in years past – Teams will help bridge that gap. All BYU Dining Services employees are in the Teams directory and can be called or messaged by other employees.
    • Integration: Each area will have its own dedicated “Team” in Microsoft Teams, automatically populated from the Workday org chart. These Teams will be used for announcements, collaboration, and documentation for the area’s employees.
    • Compliance and Accountability: Using BYU-supported tools like Teams enables communication that is secure, documented, and professional.

      How Can I Learn More?

      • Visit https://dining.byu.edu/teams for training and support resources.
      • Directors and A&P Tech staff will visit upcoming area staff meetings to provide guidance and answer questions.
      • An FAQ is available on the Dining employee website and will be updated as new questions arise.
      • A general email will be sent next week to all Dining Services employees (including student employees) summarizing the change and outlining next steps.

      Policy Updates

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