Where is everybody?

What is happening to the traditional office environment? Research from Microsoft Windows Mobile, in conjunction with The Future Laboratory, says that the “9-to-5”, “the commute” and the “daily grind” will soon be things of the past, if they aren’t already: 57% of workers now work flexible hours and from flexible locations. According to new findings, the skylines of major cities are set to change by 2033. There will be more Wi-Fi hotspots, more green spaces and fewer office blocks. Thanks to new mobile technology incorporated in phone handsets and laptops, it’s now possible to work miles away from the office and achieve the same level of productivity, if not higher.

With this in mind, you cannot help but wonder: what is the fate of the office environment? How will colleagues communicate with one another if they don’t have much, if any, physical contact time? Perhaps the answer to this lies in a model similar to social networking. Websites such as Facebook and MySpace have already revolutionised social interaction in people’s private lives, but as yet there is no major equivalent offering businesses a new form of intranet.

Facebook provides the ability to see, communicate with and touch (well, “poke”) those around you. With the office environment moving online more and more, intranets should be turning into personalised business versions of social networks. E-mail has already revolutionised unspoken communication in the office, but there needs to be more if you are no longer spending hours commuting to see your colleagues. It goes without saying that meetings will never disappear, but the traditional work-life balance is set to change.

A previous Trendspeak article highlights the importance of good management in facilitating successful internal communication. Due to flexible working hours and locations, managers will face an increasingly difficult job in tracing their employees’ productivity. The need for a more transparent and more comprehensive online intranet will only become ever greater.

More information on the research by Microsoft Windows Mobile can be found here: Link