Local workers feel impact of nationwide Microsoft outage

A nationwide Microsoft outage disrupted the workday for businesses and professionals across the country Thursday, including workers in the Charlotte area who rely on the company’s services to communicate and get their jobs done.

Official response and confirmed impact

The outage began around noon, leaving some users unable to access email and other Microsoft business applications.

Workers reported error messages and emails that would not go through, creating challenges for people who depend on constant communication.

William Fuchs noticed problems early in the day. “Something was up with it today; it wasn’t clicking,” Fuchs said.

Natalie Croland, who works in financial services, said repeated error messages slowed her down. “I kept getting pop-ups, Microsoft, the little red exclamation,” Croland said.

The disruption affected her regular duties, but also gave her a chance to catch up on other work.

“Yeah, it definitely slowed me down with work, but it’s also kind of a good thing.

Gave me a little break to get caught up on other work,” Croland said.