(Updated) Microsoft 365 Copilot: Customize how managers are identified in Workforce Insights agent and Copilot responses

Updated March 27, 2026: We have updated the content and timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new capability in Workforce Insights agent that allows organizations to customize how managers are identified. This enhancement uses the SupervisorIndicator attribute from the Microsoft Organizational Data Ingestion System (MODIS) to align Copilot responses, insights, and analytics with your organization’s formal manager definition. This helps ensure accurate and consistent manager‑related metrics without altering your reporting hierarchy or access controls.

[When this will happen]

• Frontier Preview: Rollout begins in early April 2026 (previously late March).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations using Workforce Insights agent with organizational data provided through MODIS

What will happen

• If your tenant already provides the SupervisorIndicator attribute through MODIS, Workforce Insights agent will automatically begin using it to identify managers.
• Many organizations define “manager” differently based on HR policies (for example, including contractors or interns, or excluding certain job families). This capability allows your organization’s definition to take precedence over the default hierarchy‑based definition.
• When SupervisorIndicator is present, it becomes the authoritative signal for manager status used in:
  • manager‑related questions and responses,
  • organizational insights,
  • analytics and metrics (such as manager counts and manager‑to‑IC ratios).
• This change aligns insights and analytics with your HR‑defined manager criteria without impacting:
  • reporting hierarchy,
  • manager–employee relationships,
  • access controls,
  • delegation,
  • privacy enforcement.
• If your tenant does not provide the SupervisorIndicator attribute, manager identification will continue using organizational hierarchy (employees with direct reports).
• The feature is enabled automatically when the attribute is present—no admin toggle is required.

[What you can do to prepare]

If your tenant uses SupervisorIndicator, ask your organizational data admin to:

• Review the values in this attribute to ensure accuracy for Workforce Insights queries.
• Ensure your organization has at least 50 active Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.

No other admin action is required at this time.

Learn more: 

• Use your organizational data in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn
• Workforce Insights agent | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.