WORKPLACE TRENDS for the 21st Century.

• Author: CHALLENGER, JOHN S.

"Labor-short companies are increasingly willing to accommodate employees' desire for more flexible scheduling, evidenced by the growing number of firms offering telecommuting, flex-time, and core hours."

THE IMPACT that technology has had on the workplace, and society in general, is undeniable. It will become even greater as computers get smarter, faster, smaller, and so inexpensive that virtually everyone will be able to own one.

Already, it can be seen how the nonstop, technology-driven, global economy is tearing down traditional concepts of time and space. The Internet permits a person to conduct business anytime day or night with a company that might be 10 time zones away.

Portable laptop computers, cell phones, pagers, and wireless Internet connections allow people to work anywhere at any time, so they have more control over their schedules. As a result, many more may choose to take days off in the middle of the traditional work-week, when golf courses and shopping malls are less crowded, and work weekends instead.

In addition, technology will help businesses gain more control over hiring decisions. There currently is a service available in which a small microchip containing the owner's phone number is embedded in a pet's shoulder. The chip allows lost dogs and cats easily to be reunited with their human families. The same technology could eventually be used to screen job candidates. The embedded chip would hold an individual's entire work history. The result would be a "walking resume" that would virtually eliminate fraud and could even allow companies to identify individuals who might pose a threat to workplace safety.

Technology will help firms solve the labor shortages that currently plague many industries, particularly high-tech ones. The human downside, though, is that, in solving labor shortages, technology will ultimately result in job destruction.

Robotics have eliminated thousands of blue-collar jobs in America's factories and assembly plants. Computers have reduced the need for many white-collar managers since they allow one person to do the work of two or three. How long will it be before technology actually replaces the people who design, build, and program the computers?

Presently, some law firms are utilizing forms of artificial intelligence. While the software currently is unable to match the human mind's flexibility, it does analyze facts, determine which rules apply, make recommendations, and draft the appropriate documents.

This could eventually eliminate the need for paralegals, as well as many entry-level lawyers. More importantly, the existence of this software serves to illustrate just how far humans have come in creating computers that literally think for themselves.

In addition to technology, the other factor that may have great impact on the future of the workplace is the rapidly changing demographic makeup of the population. Skill-short companies will be compelled to open up more opportunities to older workers. As the workplace becomes increasingly bipolar in terms of age, employers will have the challenge of getting the two groups to work together harmoniously in order to maintain continued growth.

Other workplace trends to look for include the following:

Occupational synthesis will...