The M365 Apps update from Friday night, December 11, may cause your previous Microsoft Office icons and shortcuts to disappear. Because the 2016 version of these software products had security vulnerabilities, it had to be uninstalled. The removal of the older products may have also removed the icons and shortcuts from your computer.
Instructions (with screenshots) to create new shortcuts and icons to the Office products can be found here – https://it.mst.edu/hardware-software/personal-use-software/microsoft365apps/
If you have difficulty creating the new shortcuts or have other questions related to the update, please reach out via your preferred method to the Help Desk.