I am currently working mixed mode. In the past, I have worked mostly office, and mostly mobile, depending on the primary role in play for me at the time. This

I am currently working mixed mode. In the past, I have worked mostly office, and mostly mobile, depending on the primary role in play for me at the time. This variety can be a big deal! One aspect is I am completely free to maximize an opportunity. Work at customer site, work at home, work at office... whatever gets the task done at max value. Having that experience over a sustained time has shown me a few things, and one of those is how communication channels and context work. Let's take that water cooler convo. People like those because they appear casual, spontaneous and the context is compartmentalized away from the usual, sort of a back or side channel. I have the same conversations over Skype, for example, or via a phone call while traveling. I believe this struggle will result in more people being more flexible in how they communicate and why and as they do, the strong pressure to be in an office all the time will be reduced in a large number of cases. There is almost no difference between a Skype chat, text messages, phone call or water cooler, break room, smoke room chat. People who try it will soon adapt and everyone involved will be better off.