Staffing Firm Sees 'Information Coordinators' In Future Offices

Year-2005 workplaces could pivot around a new breed of administrative assistants called "information coordinators," suggests recent research by international staffing firm OfficeTeam. The office of the future -- with its remote project teams, instant communication, and staggered schedules -- will depend on the support and expertise of these coordinators, who will serve as departmental ground control centers to bring order to the chaos, say the research results. OfficeTeam undertook the 2005 Research project to provide a realistic snapshot of the office of the future, and identify the skills workers will need there. It has released an educational video on the "Office of the Future: 2005," viewable on its Web site. "Demands for increased office productivity are continuing to flatten company organizational charts and are driving the need for advanced technology," says OfficeTeam executive director Diane Domeyer. "These trends are pushing businesses to continually expand the role of administrative assistants."