Technology has increasingly shifted how some of us are able to perform our work at hand. Mobile device costs and service plans have settled into a measurable range, so that we can use these tools more flexibly in business. The voicemail systems of the past have given way to sophisticated virtual assistants, translation programs, and follow-me applications. Access to our files and important information has shifted into the cloud, such that we can do work wherever we can find the Internet (which itself is easier thanks in part to extended wifi deployment, and thanks also to EVDO and other wireless technologies). This all goes a long way towards empowering the workplaces that you and I will inhabit in the coming months.
How Important is the Office?
Business meetings go better when face to face, I'm willing to grant, but how often do internal meetings require our actual presence? With free video tools like Skype and ooVoo on one hand (not to mention Live Meeting and other incumbent tech), and with somewhat more robust platforms created by players like Polycom, video and other technologies like instant messenger and collaborative environments are reducing the need for as much constant face-to-face contact in some applications.
How Much Does It Cost?
Have you done the cost analysis on your "price per office" for your workstaff? Years ago, I ran a similar analysis for my organization, and we realized that the cost of putting someone in a cubicle at work was approximately $6700 (around 2002). Determining the number of employees who might be able to work remotely changes up your facilities costs (though it might add in remote networking costs on the other end, so be careful).
What Does Flexibility Afford You?
Imagine for a moment what it means to shift your customer service staff into a work from home situation. Think that's far fetched? JetBlue has worked its way into "homeshoring" its customer service to people in Salt Lake City. How would it impact your business, positively or otherwise, to move various segments into different markets, based on labor pricing versus proximity to the core business?
What's the End Game?
In the end, the value center of organizations will probably have to work together in the same physical proximity. Nothing matches up perfectly to the feeling of responsiveness one gets when working in the office with colleagues right at hand. But don't rule out the experience. It might be that some of your best knowledge workers will do better in a more modular, flexible work arrangement. The Millennial Generation challenges our work place in several new ways, but Gen X isn't sitting still either. How will you adapt?
Chris Brogan...