Infographic: Goodbye to Office Toolus Extinctus

A new study, survey-ed more than 7,000 professionals worldwide …

… and queried which tech and trends are likely not be seen by the year 2017. 1000s of business and practice managers agreed they could likely soon see such office tool staples  as the tape recorder, fax machine, and Rolodex at science exhibits alongside petrified wood and Brontosaurus skeletons.

According to the survey, the top ten tech and office
trends soon to be going the way of the Dodo Bird are:

Tape recorders (79 percent), Fax machines (71 percent), Rolodexes (58 percent), Standard working hours (57 percent), Desk phones (35 percent), Desktop computers (34 percent), Formal business attire – suits, ties, pantyhose, etc. (27 per-cent), Corner offices for managers  and executives (21 percent), Cubicles (19 percent), and USB thumb drives (17 percent)

“Business pros from around the world also suggested several key dream tools they’d like to see in the future. These include having a clone or assistant to help them (25 percent), a place in the office that provides natural sunlight (25 percent), and a quiet place in their office where they’re allowed to take a nap (22 percent). In a funny twist, 19 percent of respondents said they wish they had a mute button for their coworkers so they don’t have to hear them talk.”

– Sources: AccountingWeb & LinkedIn

Not surprisingly  fax machines were indicated as one of the two biggest choices, just behind tape recorders but above the Rolodex. LinkedIn executive Nicole Williams said this was not unexpected. “Some people still think that the fax machine is a relevant form of communication. It’s not,” she said.

LinkedIn’s questionaire also queried participants what tech they thought was destined to takeover over their workplace. Their answer: Tablets, smartphones, and cloud storage. A no brainer, right? .

More importantly  was that many of those surveyed were fairly certain that the increase in more portable computing devices, smartphones and the like, will also usher in flexible working hours and an increasing reliance on telecommuting and video conferencing.

“The key message that we got is that the world is changing. It’s becoming more flexible,” Williams said.