LinkedIn surveyed 7000 professionals globally as a part of its "Office Endangered Species" study, of which nearly 400 were from India. The online professional networking portal surveyed about which office tools and trends will most likely not be seen around office by the year 2017. Thousands of professionals agreed they could easily picture office stalwarts like tape recorders, fax machines and Rolodexes nestled in museum exhibits next to fossils and Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons.

The top three office tools targeted for extinction are the tape recorder (73 percent), standard working hours (60 percent) and desktop computers (58 percent). A significant 59 percent believe that flexible working hours are most likely to be common in the workplace five years from now. Interestingly, the survey also reflected that the number-one office dream tool for Indians is a place in the office that provides natural sunlight (36 percent) followed by a quiet place in the office where they are allowed to take a nap (25 percent).

Hari V. Krishnan, Country Manager, LinkedIn India said, “The findings of this survey establish that the average Indian workplace is evolving. With tools like tablet computers, video conferencing, smart phones, etc. being featured on the list of must-haves, Indian companies and professionals are increasingly turning towards technology to assist their career growth.

Globally, professionals selected tablets (55 percent), cloud storage (54 percent), flexible working hours and smartphones (which tied at 52 percent) as office tools that are becoming more ubiquitous. Professionals from around the world also provided insights into some 'dream tools' they envision for the future. These include a clone or assistant to help you in your day (25 percent), a place in the office that provides natural sunlight (25 percent) and a quiet place in your office where you’re allowed to take a nap (22 percent). In a funny twist, nineteen percent of respondents said they wish they had a mute button for their co-workers, so they don’t have to hear them talk!

Source: The Economic Times