I blogged back in April about ‘Agile Working’ – a term borrowed from my daughter. Yesterday I touched upon the market place and questioned the future of offices.

In the last few months I have started to see a number of different spaces which people work from and, perhaps, a maturing of the technology we use – which will, in my view, change the way we work forever.

It wasn’t that long ago I used email for the first time – 1994. I remember having a blackberry for the first time – I think that was 2006? WiFi is now everywhere and my internet connection is 152Mb at home.

It seems that the server is now dead. We will soon be working from servers in ‘the cloud’. This means access anywhere with a connection. Digital dictation and photography are ‘normal’. FaceTime on apple and Skype are as good a videoconference facility as most people need – often for free (even around the world). Connectivity is getting easier. Most of this stuff can be done in a coffee shop.

So why do you need an office.

In London, where prices for space reflect the scarcity there are organisations who now operate a ‘not your desk’ policy. It is genuine hot-desking. You turn up and grab the nearest desk. Your ‘phone’ is now part of your computer – it switches between a landline and VOIP. Some firms have moved away from desk phones – relying on mobiles. I do to an extent – not many people call me in the office.

So the only real reason for an office is social interaction and organisational discipline?