Office of the Future?

What does the "office of the future" hold in store for us? Will it be bright and colorful, sleek and shiny, or modern and sterile? What will our work flow and work patterns be like? Will we work more independently, or will we tend towards collaboration?

Popular Science attempts to answer these questions ( "The Future of Work," March 2007) with an article chock full of gizmos and gadgets that may make an appearance in the office landscape some time soon. Included in this list of gadgets is the new "Babble" device, which "scrambles the sound of your voice and transmits it over a speaker to render your words nonsensical to eavesdroppers." This hardly sounds like something to look forward to, considering the already high levels of distracting noise in most office environments, and the trend towards fewer traditional sound barriers.

The article then goes on to mention the benefits of sound masking in this new environment:

"Less distracting is a ceiling-mounted noise generator... a system of small speakers that issue a sound-masking whoosh not unlike the sound of an air conditioner."

Technology will certainly be evolving along with the workplace, but I think the real question is: will it make work more productive, enjoyable, or rewarding? What will be the human benefits of these new technologies?