It’s always fun to discover what others guess the future office will look like. Here’s a story from the BBC news site about just that topic. The author is Ryan Anderson, the “Director of Future Technology” at Herman Miller. He has the super-cool job of trying to figure out what the office will look like in two decades – when the workforce is more mobile and highly connected than ever. Anderson posits a 2032 work environment modeled on the type of collaboration pioneered by gamers in multi-player scenarios that require teamwork to take place over long distances.

Although much communication will be electronic and virtual (perhaps even holographic), Ryan states that IRL interaction will still be important. He envisions this face time taking place not across a traditional conference table but at a dining table. Sharing a meal has been a way to establish relationships and build trust since the dawn of recorded history. So, perhaps the idea isn’t so far-fetched. Are you ready to turn your desk into a table for two?