Work is often described in terms of a set of changing rules, boundary conditions, tools, and expectations:
- Set of rules. Most written and implicit work rules have changed in the last twenty years. Some of this is due to federal and state regulations mandating equal opportunity and protection.
- Boundary conditions. Until a few years ago, the boundary conditions for almost all businesses were the four walls in which work was conducted. It may have been the office, factory, restaurant, or some other workplace. With the virtual office, the workplace may be corporate headquarters, our home, or even an automobile anywhere in the world.
- The tools of the workplace not too many years ago were pencils, pens, and mechanical devices. Now, workplace tools are electronic including faxes, cell phones, laptop computers linked via Intranets and the Internet.