The solution to that problem isn’t hard, just built virtualized workspaces. Last few weeks I have had several dreams how such a place could look like. Imagine a small 1 person office completely surrounded in glass with lots of plants in it like a green house. You would feel lonely in such a place ? Just project your team members in the glass surrounding you, so you can build your surrounding like you have arranged and rearranged your desk for the last couple of years. Just want video without audio no problem mute your colleagues when you have to make a phone call, so you don’t bother them and they don’t bother you at that moment.

This way you can work, with several colleagues, in mixed composition, in a small office, interacting with each other when needed. We don’t want our coffee to be virtual or do we? One machine that can give out any juice you need at that time? Sounds lovely to me.

Most of the techniques needed to build a virtual office is already at hand, so why don’t combine them?

We already virtualise servers, storage, desktops so why not workspaces and with new techniques on the horizon it doesn’t matter where these functionality is running, they will be available somewhere in the hired cloud. If the functionality is running virtual it doesn’t matter where the support technicians are situated. Maybe they are on a journey around the globe with their smart phone plugging into the cloud he can control the functionality and help the customers, but still doing the maintenance of the functionality. If we look at the already available techniques more and more are focused around a new way people interact with each other’s not bound by nationwide boundaries not bound by sitting next to each other to get the job done.

Biggest hurdle is the mindset within the society to think out of the box, to let go of the 9 to 5 mentality and to try out new ways to cut traffic jam and use the time people have wisely. MeAgain also published about future workspaces and that it is not all about techniques but more about the mindset within companies, society and individuals. https://vmguru.com/2008/12/virtual-offices/#more-430

Next few years will be very interesting.