It would be a fair assessment to say that for almost every medium to large sized corporation in the world, real estate is their single-most under-utilized asset – even companies such as Google, Cisco, and the like. They and a few others are leading the way, but still have a long ways to go.

Interestingly, many Federal and State government agencies are actually at the forefront of the “Alternative Workspace Revolution”; implementing strategies such as Teleworking, Hot-Desking, etc. These govt agencies largely make up the group that is driving these changes for THEIR employees as efficiency measures, in the face of massive budget shortages & cuts.

Most of your tech companies and others that are beginning to implement these types of strategies are doing so as a response to changes in the attitudes and expectations of the workforce. As Mr. Pfeffer points out, communication is key. The technology available today pretty much will allow most office workers to work from just about anywhere (been to Starbucks lately?). This pressure on employers will only increase as the Gen Y’s and Millennials, with their sense of entitlement to certain freedoms, begin to proliferate in the workforce of the future.