Road worrier

The other day I met a fellow whose office went "virtual" to save money. My first thought was: What a blessing to have an employer that downsizes by shedding real estate instead of people! Upon reflection, though, I'm not sure I'd like to be one of those people.

The same technology that makes it possible for us to be mobile also happens to suck. I wish I had a euro for every time I had to listen to someone walk me through a painstakingly detailed account of why they weren't getting their e-mail and where they think the e-mail might be and when they think the e-mail might start arriving again and the succession of workarounds they've tried and abandoned. Talking on a cell phone requires yelling and repeating oneself. WiFi is just going to be replaced with something else, so why make the commitment?

Conducting business in coffee shops, which my acquaintance is now going to have to do, carries risks greater than having your laptop or your seat nicked when you get up to pee. Without an office door to close, you've got to assume that everything you say and everything you write will shortly be known to competitors -- yours and your client's.

"As long as the checks clear" is a perfectly valid rejoinder to any complaint about work short of harassment or violence. Maybe the office is an artifact of the 19th century that overstayed its welcome in the 20th, and good riddance. If Zappos can be productive letting call-takers take calls at home, jolly good for Zappos. But I predict the office is going to make a comeback, not merely as a status symbol but after some business review publishes an article showing a link between privacy and productivity. (Face it, business reviews will publish articles showing a link between anything and anything else.) Commercial real estate may prove to be a good investment yet.