• "Third places"

The growth in mobile working is colliding with increasing numbers of isolated home workers and extreme commuters to give rise to a "third place," which is a place between home and work where professionals can be productive. While Internet-enabled, public gathering spots, bookstores and copy centers continue to draw workers, a growing number of high-rise and store-front business centers are filling the need for a more professional, private and equipped workspace. Some of these centers scattered throughout metropolitan and suburban areas also allow companies to open strategically placed branch offices closer to employees' homes, or adjacent to important customers, without the need to lease and outfit traditional office space.

Smaller, more dispersed work sites are not only well-suited for mobile workers, they also can provide a tremendous opportunity for employers to reduce real estate costs. For most large companies, owned real estate is their largest expense, despite the fact that much of it can sit empty as staffing levels change and an increasing number of employees work everywhere except at their desks. By creating a network of non-owned offices with the ability to easily add or shed space as necessary, companies can reduce the need for cost-intensive corporate facilities. Furthermore, cutting down on corporate office space waste has the positive side-effect of reduced carbon emissions due to fewer commuters and lower energy consumption, a factor of no small importance to the rising Millennial generation.

• The anytime, anywhere office

In addition to producing millions of young technophiles, the digital revolution of the last decade has also enabled an explosion of cross-border economics. Even for companies that were already operating internationally, the quickened pace of global business has made the world less predictable.

As mobile professionals move across the globe to meet ever-shifting business priorities, a permanent real estate portfolio can become more of a handicap than an asset. Rather than outfitting leased or company-owned facilities in every market, forward-thinking employers are empowering people to work anywhere in the world without ties to any particular outpost.

To help these employees work how, when and where they need to, the flexible office space industry is meeting this need by creating worldwide networks of drop-in lounges that can be found in airports, city centers, and next to major corporate campuses. Rather than being able to work only from hotel rooms or coffee shops, business nomads can have immediate walk-in access to private offices, copy and fax machines, Internet access, videoconferencing, meeting rooms, and administrative support, as if they were back at headquarters.

• Virtual expansion

Even in a mobile world, many companies will still require a full-time presence in one or more areas, particularly as they expand to win business in new markets. But leasing a full-time office isn't the only option. With a virtual office, companies can establish a permanent local address and phone number at a business center with a prestigious address, signaling their commitment to the area without paying for unneeded space.

Meanwhile, mobile workers remain free to work where it's most convenient to them, whether at home, at a third place or a drop-in office. And when the need for a face-to-face meeting arises at the new location, many virtual office programs also offer "real" offices and meeting facilities on an as-needed basis.

Whatever mix of tactics is employed, the result of more flexible workplace and workspace strategies is an enhanced ability to do business in the right place at the right time. Companies gain agility in the marketplace and reduce the risks associated with traditional real estate. And as they adapt to the mobile mindset of their next generation of workers, companies can unleash a powerful combination of potential benefits: increased employee satisfaction, with heightened productivity and lower costs.