Going the Way of the Dinosaur

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Hold on to your rolodex from 1975—that dust-collecting gadget soon may be a collector's item. According to LinkedIn's 2012 Office Endangered Species Survey, 7,200 global professionals predict these 13 items and trends will fade from office life within the next five years:

Hold on to your rolodex from 1975—that dust-collecting gadget soon may be a collector's item. According to LinkedIn's 2012 Office Endangered Species Survey, 7,200 global professionals predict these 13 items and trends will fade from office life within the next five years:

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  Tape recorders (79 percent)

  Tape recorders (79 percent)

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  Fax machines (71 percent)

  Fax machines (71 percent)

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  Rolodexes (58 percent)

  Rolodexes (58 percent)

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  Standard working hours (57 percent)

  Standard working hours (57 percent)

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  Desk phones (35 percent)

  Desk phones (35 percent)

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  Desktop computers (34 percent)

  Desktop computers (34 percent)

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  Formal business attire (27 percent)

  Formal business attire (27 percent)

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  Corner office for managers and executives (21 percent)

  Corner office for managers and executives (21 percent)

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  Cubicles (19 percent)

  Cubicles (19 percent)

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  USB thumb drives (17 percent)

  USB thumb drives (17 percent)

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  An office with a door (16 percent)

  An office with a door (16 percent)

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  Business cards (14 percent)

  Business cards (14 percent)

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  Copy machines (13 percent)

  Copy machines (13 percent)

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On the other side of the coin, some items and trends boast skyrocketing office popularity. Respondents believe flexible working hours, telecommuting, video conferencing, web-based documents, enterprise social networking, and casual dress will be commonplace in 2017.

On the other side of the coin, some items and trends boast skyrocketing office popularity. Respondents believe flexible working hours, telecommuting, video conferencing, web-based documents, enterprise social networking, and casual dress will be commonplace in 2017.

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The surveyed group also collectively shares its loftiest dreams for today's workplace, citing idealistic wishes such as a clone or assistant to help out during the day, a place in the office that provides natural sunlight, a quiet room in the office to take a nap, and a mute button for co-workers.

The surveyed group also collectively shares its loftiest dreams for today's workplace, citing idealistic wishes such as a clone or assistant to help out during the day, a place in the office that provides natural sunlight, a quiet room in the office to take a nap, and a mute button for co-workers.