Business and enterprise software, and other applications that help a business run

One of my social media friends has reminded me that not everyone would be happy to see the office disappear as a result of the new business computing paradigm. I could be described as a loner, and fairly self-sufficient, at that. I do not dislike the time I spend with people, but find that I like social hour better at the espresso shop than at the office. So, for me, the loss of the everyday togetherness that I described here does not seem like much of a sacrifice. If I feel a little lonely, I'll go out to coffee.

But Deb reminded me that not everyone feels that way. For a lot of people, a job is as much a social experience as it is anything else. I think that this may be especially true for women, but I could be wrong and will surely be reminded of it if I am. :) The sense of togetherness at the office means a great deal to some people, but there would be ways to compensate for what some people see as a loss.

To me, the positive personal and environmental considerations of not having offices and commutes to offices are just too great to be ignored. We need to find other  ways of having the together-time that we need. We could certainly meet once a week, maybe in geographically close groups, and maybe monthly at a central location for an all-hands. There are plenty of places that get little daytime use, and which would make excellent hosting locations.

I also know that some people are already forming relationships with co-workers that live close to them. I know of three customer service reps for a Web hosting company that share a dining room table on a rotating basis. I know a number of researchers that travel sort distances to work with co-workers. I think more and more of that will happen. And maybe if there was less socializing at work, you would have more of it left for the family.