While I wouldn’t argue that technology can ultimately replace face-to-face interaction (since so much of what we communicate actually happens non-verbally), I would argue that we should think more about the appropriate communication vehicle that needs to be used in a particular interpersonal exchange. Face-to-face works great for difficult, tense or complex issues, but is often not necessary for simple, routine tasks.

As I type this, I’m watching thousands of commuters fleeing the downtown core out my window — which, as you said, is wasting thousands of hours of time and generating an untold amount of pollution.

Hopefully, along with these changes will come a more trusting, collaborative work environment — and a more eco-friendly workforce to boot.

Corporate environments don’t get this, and they need to. One of the big issues with large corporations is retaining female workers who are mothers. These are women who are used to multitasking anyway and a lot of them would like the freedom to work from home or set their own hours. This is a specific example but I think most of us feel this way now to some degree.

Think, too, of the environmental cost of requiring people to get into their cars in the suburbs and drive downtown everyday to sit in giant office blocks. The fuel consumed, not to mention the time, is wasteful. We all have computers at home now and many of us have broadband access. Since so much of our work is computer-based, and online collaboration so easy and inexpensive, you’d think they’d be embracing this way to save money and make their employees happier. But so far, not so much…

I predict big changes in the next ten years. Hopefully, more like five…