Microsoft Teams offers a range of status options. Some of them are honest. Some of them are aspirational. Some of them are works of fiction that have been normalized through repetition.
Here is a definitive ranking, from most honest to least.
Tier 1: Honest
Away
You are not at your computer. This is accurate. Teams sets it automatically after a period of inactivity, which means it is one of the few statuses that reflects reality without human intervention.
Do Not Disturb
You have explicitly asked not to be interrupted. This is honest because it requires a deliberate action and communicates a clear preference. Whether people respect it is a separate question.
Offline
You are not online. This is the most honest status available. It is also the one people are most reluctant to set during working hours, which says something about the culture.
Tier 2: Mostly Honest
In a Meeting
You are in a meeting. This is usually accurate. Occasionally it means you are in a meeting you are not paying attention to, but you are technically present.
On a Call
You are on a call. Accurate. The call may or may not be work-related, but you are on one.
Tier 3: Optimistic
Available
You are available. This is technically true in the sense that you are online. Whether you are actually available to respond immediately is a different question that Available does not address.
Focusing
You are focusing. This is what you intend to be doing. Whether you are actually focusing, or whether you are reading this article, is between you and your conscience.
Tier 4: Creative
Be Right Back
You will be right back. This status is set and then forgotten. The person who set it is rarely right back. They are usually in a meeting, at lunch, or have left for the day. "Be Right Back" is the status equivalent of "I'll be five minutes."
Busy
You are busy. Everyone is busy. Busy is the default state of modern work. Setting Busy as a status is like setting a status that says "Breathing." It is true but it does not communicate anything useful.
Tier 5: Fiction
Deep Focus
You are in a state of deep, uninterrupted concentration. This is the status people set when they want to signal productivity without being available. The actual activity behind Deep Focus ranges from genuine focused work to watching YouTube at 1.5x speed.
Strategic Thinking
This is not a default Teams status. It is a custom status. People who set this are communicating something specific: that their current activity is important, senior, and not to be interrupted. The actual activity is often staring at the wall, which is also a legitimate form of thinking.
The Honest Conclusion
Status messages are social signals, not operational data. They communicate availability preferences, not actual availability. They are a courtesy, not a contract.
The most useful status is the one that accurately reflects your actual availability and helps your colleagues decide whether to contact you now or later. Everything else is performance.