The Future of the Workplace: No Office

ABC News: The Future of the Workplace: No Office

The virtual office for better or worse technology and globalization are creating startling changes in what it means to be on the job. Betsey Stark is tracking the new order of business and tonight begins our series 'The future of work'.

Imagine a work world with no commute, no corporate headquarters, maybe no office in the physical world at all. For Bob Flavin, Janet Hoffman and Joseph Jaffe the future is already here.

"These days we do so much stuff by teleconferences and things that it doesn't matter where you are."

Like 42% of IBM's 350,000 employees, Bob Flavin rarely comes in to an IBM office.

"We don't care where and how you get your work done. We care that you get your work done."

On the day, we met him he was collaborating with computer scientists in British Columbia and Beijig from the on-call room of his local ambulance corps. Where he works is a volunteer.

"You are in sexes they were 3-1."

The workforce at the Accenture management consulting firm is so mobile, non even the CEO has an office with his name on the door.

"There's no corporate headquarters."

If you need a workspace your reserve it like a hotel room, checking in and out at a kiosk.

"Having a big desk is a sign of status with lots of family photos and, you know, in carpeting, that's fluffy and nice. Is that is a vision on the past."

In the future more companies with scattered workforces and clients may do what the crayon marketing firm had done and make their headquarters in cyberspace.

Crayons workers rarely made in the physical world.

"I am in Boston today, and I am on Long Island today"

But their alter egos in the virtual world gather once a week.

"We're here in our boardroom and you're here actually at the tail end of a status meeting"

"I never met crayons CEO in person there you are. But we spent a couple of hours together in cyberspace."

"Our belief is that if we bring light minds together, no matter where they are in the world. We can actually create that connectedness as if we're actually here at the same place at the same time".

If what matters is what you do not where you are who needs an office. Betsey Stark ABC News. Crayon Ville in cyberspace