distributed around the world connected to one another. Being able to see other team members enhanced their sense of belonging and increased their ability to collaborate, innovate, and communicate. Fast-forward to the spring of 2020 when the global pandemic, COVID-19, disrupted office work and employees abruptly began to work remotely. That was Remote Work 1.0. A few months later, companies began to upgrade their systems as they realized that a return to the office would not happen any time soon. 81 According to tech writer Ethan Murray, what's next in terms of office technology will include virtual offices, virtual focus groups, virtual collaboration, and mixed reality technologies as people continue to work remotely. 82 VIRTUAL OFFICES Mixed reality programs like Sneek and Pukkateam now allow teams in financial services and retail to meet in virtual offices. These programs create a feeling of togetherness by showing periodically updated photos of colleagues in tiles, so colleagues can see who is at their desk, on a call, or taking a break. With just a mouse click, teammates can initiate a live video call, sidestepping the needlessly time-consuming process of scheduling a videoconference call. Chat messaging easily embellished with emojis provides a platform for status updates and GIF-supported jokes to simulate office chit-chat and keep the work atmosphere friendly and fun. For teams who prefer not to have members' images on display throughout the day, other programs such as Sococo utilize representative avatars in virtual offices with features including conference rooms, waiting areas, and pantries. 83 Companies conducting market research can now use artificial intelligence-powered virtual focus groups to go beyond the limitations of physical conference rooms. Companies can use platforms like Remesh to collect and summarize the anonymized views of up to 1000 participants on a topic or new product concept. The platform is equipped with an artificial intelligence and upvoting engine that clusters and aggregates responses, giving managers real-time data and the opportunity to steer the conversation, explore ideas as they arise, and encourage feedback from those who typically would not speak up in person, making these tools invaluable for tapping diverse points of view. 84 VIRTUAL COLLABORATION With COVID-19 literally shutting down whole industries, some companies were forced to put their R\&D projects on hold because team members could not meet in person. Other companies began to use collaboration tools such as online sticky notes, shared digital whiteboards, and live co-editing of wikis, slides, and documents to replicate the traditional meeting tools and facilitate continued research. Some companies benefitted from being forced to adapt. One bank, for example, "discovered that it could design and launch a new digital banking business line and product in a virtual workspace just as well, and in a fraction of the time, as it had one year earlier for another product, when it flew in people to brainstorm in person."85 It makes sense. While there are physical limitations on an in-person facilitator working at a whiteboard, multi-editor collaboration tools allow everyone to contribute at once, making for a broader and more inclusive flow of ideas from all parties. Time is also saved because the outcomes are formatted digitally during the meeting, not processed separately afterwards. 86 MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES Mixed reality technologies will drive the efficiency and performance levels of companies that have work-from-home or remote teams in their workforces. According to Murray, the next wave of mixed reality will use artificial intelligence tools to solve problems with even greater efficiency by creating optimal rotations of "serendipitous" encounters across teams and functions. Mixed reality tech will drive the development of tools such as affordable home smart boards and large multi-monitor displays to take visuals off laptop screens and better simulate the in-person collaboration experience. At the same time, home 3-D printers will make it possible for one year earlier for another product, when it flew in people to brainstorm in person."85 It makes sense. While there are physical limitations on an in-person facilitator working at a whiteboard, multi-editor collaboration tools allow everyone to contribute at once, making for a broader and more inclusive flow of ideas from all parties. Time is also saved because the outcomes are formatted digitally during the meeting, not processed separately afterwards. 86 MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES Mixed reality technologies will drive the efficiency and performance levels of companies that have work-from-home or remote teams in their workforces. According to Murray, the next wave of mixed reality will use artificial intelligence tools to solve problems with even greater efficiency by creating optimal rotations of "serendipitous" encounters across teams and functions. Mixed reality tech will drive the development of tools such as affordable home smart boards and large multi-monitor displays to take visuals off laptop screens and better simulate the in-person collaboration experience. At the same time, home 3-D printers will make it possible for design teams to physically test prototypes in their own home offices. And for the fun, collegial team building experiences that are so important in the workplace, Murray expects things like "fast cross-town home deliveries by drones of virtual happy hour supplies like wine and painting kits."87 Page 257 While these new office technologies will increase productivity and efficiencies in communications, managers should also be aware of some of the potential pitfalls for employees. For instance, employees surveyed by Gartner reported frustration with the new level of surveillance these technologies afford managers. Gartner found that more than one out of four companies purchased new technology during the pandemic that passively tracks and monitors its employees. Furthermore, less than 50 percent of employees trust their organization with their data, and 44 percent don't receive any information regarding the data collected about them by their company. 88 Determining how to balance employee privacy with new communication technology should be at the forefront of decisions to go to the next level of digital remote work. 1. How are the next generation of office technologies affecting organizational communication