There is some very exciting work going on today to rethink the design of offices, even for people who remain in the office full-time. For them, and for telecommuters and other mobile workers, we are recognizing that everyone does not need his or her own private, assigned desk or office all the time. Concepts such as "non-territorial" and "free-address" offices, or "hoteling", are becoming quite popular. The benefits are clear: better space utilization, lower costs, and offices that are designed more for team work than for individual desk work. Changes like these have to be made carefully, and must be based on careful analysis of tasks, workflow, technology, and organizational culture.

2. What's happening with satellite offices and telework centers?

The predominant form of telecommuting today is still the work-at-home kind, though there's growing interest in satellite offices and other kinds of facility-based telecommuting. These centers are often located near where people live, they work well for telecommuters who can't or choose not to work at home, and they can be an economical way to make certain resources (such as high-speed printers or videoconferencing) available that can't be placed in one telecommuter's home. Most of the use of these centers has occurred in Europe, but there have been some encouraging trials recently in the U.S. as well.

3. Are telecommuting and "the virtual office" the same thing?

There is an ever-growing lexicon of remote work, so it's hard to define terms precisely. "Telecommuting" typically refers to salaried employees who normally would work in an office but who now instead spend one to three days a week at home or elsewhere off-site. "Virtual office" typically refers to employees who traditionally have spent little time in the office, and who are increasingly being equipped with portable technology that lets them work from almost anywhere. One of the best examples of the latter are field sales representatives.

4. Do any employers provide furniture - or home-office design services - for their telecommuters at home?

Very few, if any, provide the design service; most homeowners just don't want an outsider coming in to make design suggestions, even though this might be a very useful service. More and more employers are starting to provide furniture, or at least provide a cash payment to cover part of the cost. This is a fairly recent trend because until now, the major office furniture vendors didn't have product that was designed to look good in the home and also have the ergonomic features and sturdiness of regular office furniture.

Bear in mind that many telecommuters may not want the company to provide the furniture. There might not be enough space in the home, or the furniture might clash with carefully-chosen home decor.

5. If telecommuters are only out of the office 1-2 days a week, where do the office space savings come from?

Good question. If they're only away 1-2 days a week and they retain their own personal office or cubicle, there is no savings on office space. But when they're away more days each week, and/or they are using some kind of shared facilities, that's where the savings begin.

If telecommuting is set up properly, the telecommuters really don't need the same kind of dedicated space in the office as when they worked there full-time. They should be doing their more intensive desk work while telecommuting, and use their time in the office to attend meetings, visit co-workers and clients, etc. So, when they come into the office they need a temporary place to "land" for the day, not a permanent place to "live."

6. If telecommuting keeps growing, and everyone starts using laptops, cellular phones, and all the other mobile technology, aren't offices going to disappear entirely?

If they do, it will surprise and shock almost everyone. The office as we know it might disappear - that is, if we define it as a place that everyone must come to for doing their office work. I think we're still going to have some kind of offices for a long, long time - the difference is that the design and layout will change. Also, we will increasingly see offices as just one of many possible places to work - not the only, or primary, location.

Remember, too, that while telecommuting is absolutely wonderful for the right person in the right job, it can be absolutely horrible for the wrong person, or even for the right person in the wrong job. Any attempts to make telecommuting mandatory - and to close down offices entirely - are likely to backfire.

7.What should an employer provide for telecommuters when they are in the office? We have taken away the employees' individual work space but want to make sure they feel welcome and part of the team when they occasionally have to work in the office.

This is an increasingly common question - but it's a challenge because of the built-in contradiction. When a company takes away employees' individual space, it's not always easy to then make those same employees "feel welcome and part of the team." The first thing you can do is to look at the full range of options for making your mobile workers feel welcome; some of this is based on the physical setting, but you should also consider more mundane (but still important) factors such as making sure they get their mail, are invited to department/company meetings and social functions, and continue to be treated the same as employees who remain in the office full-time.

The space the telecommuters use for their "drop-in" time should be inviting - that is, it should look comfortable and pleasant, and not like a nondescript public place that is cold and impersonal. Make sure there's storage room available for coats, briefcases, and so on, as well as access to amenities such as refreshments, photocopiers, office supplies, fax machines, etc. Try to provide a variety of seating areas - some for more private individual work, some for groups of two or three people to converse, and some conferencing area for small groups.

Last, consider all the things you can do to help keep these mobile workers feeling part of the team. Be sure they are kept informed about company announcements, given a chance to participate in training classes or special projects, and invited to sit on committees or task forces. Just because they are out of the office doesn't mean they have to be out of touch.

8. I just don't believe that telecommuters who come into the office, say, one to three days a week will be happy using some kind of shared space or "hoteling" arrangement. Won't they feel like second-class citizens if they don't have their own office or cubicle with their name on it?

Experience has shown that telecommuters who have a properly-designed and equipped work area and resources at home generally don't miss having their own personalized space in the main office. Assuming they'll be telecommuting from two to four days a week, their home office tends to become the focal point of their work - and that's where they have their files, the pictures of the family members, the little personal knick-knacks, and so on.

Also, if the telecommuting has been arranged correctly, their time in the main office will be spent primarily on the interactive or group tasks (e.g., meetings, reviews, client visits) that often take place somewhere else other than their own work area. Most telecommuters simply don't spend full days in the office doing "heads-down" desk work that can be done as well or better at home.