Microsoft outage: How to reach employees when email is down
A widespread Microsoft outage has disrupted access to Outlook email, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 services, interrupting work at businesses, schools, and government organizations worldwide. Beginning on November 12 and continuing into November 13, 2026, the disruption left employees unable to access essential workplace tools, CNN reported.
While IT teams monitor recovery, employees need instructions. Should they contact the help desk? Can they continue working? Where will they find updates? Sending an email about an email outage won’t help employees who cannot access their inbox. Organizations need alternative channels that keep important information moving.
Reach employees through alternative channels
Different employees encounter different screens throughout their working day. Combining alternative communication channels gives important updates several routes to your workforce:
- Desktop Ticker: Bring a short outage notice to attention while employees work, with a link to further information.
- Desktop Alerts: Bring urgent instructions directly onto computer screens when employees need to take action.
- Employee App: Share updates with colleagues working remotely, traveling, or away from a desk.
- Digital Signage: Inform (frontline) teams through screens in hallways, production areas, break rooms, and other shared spaces.
- Corporate Screensaver: Display outage updates on inactive computer screens, giving employees another opportunity to see important information.
Give employees clear instructions
Once you have a working route to employees, provide a short, practical message explaining what is happening and what to do next. Netpresenter customers are already using the platform to provide that guidance during this disruption. One customer published a desktop ticker message about the Microsoft service disruption, linking employees directly to Microsoft’s status page. The scrolling message brings the issue to employees’ attention while they work, without requiring them to open their inbox.
Another customer published a bilingual Dutch and English update on all Digital Signage screens and Corporate Screensavers, explaining that Exchange Online was experiencing problems affecting Outlook access on desktop, web, and mobile. The message clarified that the issue originated at Microsoft and that IT was monitoring the situation. It also instructed employees not to open additional tickets or restart Outlook or their computers.
These examples show how an outage notification can provide useful direction when e-mail is out. Explaining that IT is aware of the issue helps remove uncertainty. Giving specific instructions helps employees understand whether they need to act. Any guidance about tickets or troubleshooting should reflect your own IT team’s assessment.
Make communication part of outage readiness
An outage is easier to communicate about when employees already know where to find updates. Publishers should also know who approves messages and how to distribute them. Prepare that process before you need it. Agree on the channels to use, identify who needs to be reached, and make sure authorized colleagues can publish updates during a disruption. The current Microsoft outage shows why these arrangements matter. While recovery is outside your organization’s control, keeping employees informed is something you can prepare for.
Keep employees informed when their everyday tools are unavailable
Discover how Netpresenter helps you share important updates through multiple channels. Explore our platform today.
