Case letter 2: when geographical location and offices will have no relevance anymore

In 2020, having an impressive job title and a large office gives employees the feeling of social status. However, in 2045 employees will gain status by being able to contribute something meaningful to others. The working environment was important in the twentieth century and was still of importance in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. However, by the middle of the twenty-first century, people’s place of work will not necessarily be at a fixed geographical location; to a great extent, the individual workers will decide where they want to work; this could be at home, in a cafe, on the train, in a holiday cottage etc. The workplace was previously at a fixed location such as a factory or an office. In 2045, people’s working environments will be completely different. To a great extent, employees will be able to choose the working hours that are most convenient, sleep in as long as they like, agree on a meeting with the management at a specific location when needed, and so on. In short, employees will largely determine their own working environment. However, work performance requirements will not be less than before. Individual employees will decide how much they want to produce though, and consequently decide what their own income will be. If they choose to produce X units of something, instead of the usual average of X + n, then the business they work for will probably agree. In other words, they produce a certain amount of work and are paid accordingly. Offices will have become a thing of the past for both employees and management. Employees and managers can arrange meetings when necessary and find a location where to have the meeting. There will be no need for many businesses to own work premises anymore. The business will consist of a network of people and organizations carrying out the business’s activities. Recruitment will be global because the use of different languages will not pose a problem. This will be possible because one will have something like an advanced Google translate program implanted in one’s earlobe, so one will be able to receive simultaneous translation of what people who speak different languages are saying, and vice versa. Ninety per cent of the employees will find themselves located in countries other than where the business has its head office, although ‘head office’ will be nothing like the head offices of today in terms of architectural dimensions. Businesses will have no need to own buildings when employees do not need offices. Offices may be rented temporarily at various locations when needed. Banks will have become the new technology companies. The CFO of any business may be sourced from the banking services the business uses. Similarly, HR departments will be outsourced to companies that specifically offer such services. HR graduates will be able to find work in companies that specialize in HR services, insurance companies that deal with HR-related questions or HR departments within consulting companies.

Today, software engineers may be found at various locations around the globe, such as in Bangalore, India; north of Beijing; and south of Hanoi. In the twentieth century, companies were often located in a specific building at a specific location, which housed all the company’s expertise. By 2045, businesses will be synonymous with an ‘idea’, which materializes into production and/or services around the world, as the whole world will represent the business’s field of operation. The core of the business, which will be an ‘idea’, will say something about what the business is designed to do.

In these future businesses, you work when you want to work, take holidays when it suits you, and enrol on further education courses when you feel the need.

You are always your own boss, even if you are part of a network where an ideaowner sits at the top of the hierarchy. Your salary will depend on how much time you spend working and your level of productivity.

In the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first century, the motto of companies was to ‘hire the best’, but only if they lived within a radius of approximately 60 miles from the place of work,¹⁷ or if they were able to move house to satisfy this requirement. However, during the course of the 2000s, people will become more aware of the fact that it is possible to hire the best in the world without considering the ‘60-mile requirement’, because new technology will make it possible for employees to fulfil their tasks despite being in another location. When you have the whole world as your recruiting base, and those who are hired can live wherever they want, you will be able to hire the best in the world, and not just the best within a 60-mile radius. Another significant factor is that the cost of hiring a person in Bangalore and Vietnam is lower than hiring someone with the same expertise who is located in the West, such as New York, London, Paris or Berlin. This will greatly affect the wage levels of employees in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.