Ellen Lambert

Thank you all for coming out this evening to meet sociologist Ellen Lambert. Ms. Lambert specializes in research on the workplace and has recently been writing about the future of work. This topic should be of special interest, since I know many of you are already at the forefront of workplace technology. For example, let's have a show of hands to see how many people here telecommute at least part of the time. Hmm. I see eight hands raised. Well, you eight folks who work at home and communicate with your office via computer represent one of the trends Ms. Lambert has described: that people are becoming less tied to the workplace. One of the most important tools for telecommuting is electronic mail, or E-mail. E-mail lets you send and receive messages almost immediately on your computer, but you control when you read them and when you respond to them. This technology allows people to have more control over time than when relying solely on the telephone. Our guests tonight will discuss how these important changes will alter the way we work. Before turning the floor over to Ms. Lambert, I would just like to remind you that she will be available to answer any individual questions at the reception immediately following this talk.