What Will Our Offices Look Like?

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The boss, mind you, will probably be clued in to your little chat as well. Privacy, as we all know well, is rapidly eroding in the workplace, and the situation only stands to get worse. From reading employees' e-mail to tracking their Web surfing, more corporations are keeping a close eye on their human capital. In another quarter-century, we will probably be forced to carry badges that let our superiors know where we are at all times, from the bathroom to the vending machines. Then again, crafty folks who want to spend the day at the movies might just fashion counterfeit badges and have colleagues pass them around to throw security off the trail. "It could be the greatest boon to goofing off ever," says Adams. After all, as Bob Propst learned when he tried to build the flexible office more than 30 years ago, workplace innovations don't always work out as planned.