One well-known brochure advertising office furniture features the image of a young man dragging a box and thinking, "I wonder where I'm going to work today." Just a few years ago this might have been a joke, but today it is no longer funny. Now change has become a constant feature of our lives, particularly in relation to our careers. Moreover, according to business theorists, change is a good thing that we should initiate.

Another element that determines our professional future is movement. The modern economy knows no communication barriers; the speed of information transfer is the only thing that counts. To be successful, you have to be the first to obtain information, introduce a new product and reach your customers.

Every day thousands of new products appear on international markets. New manufacturing technologies enable industry to produce millions of products every second. Companies outdo one another not only in introducing new products but also in creating demand. Every day armies of salespeople approach potential consumers by e-mail. They are mobile and use laptops, palmtops and cars. In Poland, their share does not exceed 30 percent, but in some countries and companies, more than half of the staff work outside the office. Today, no one can afford to wait for the client.

The picture of offices has changed, too. Traditional offices, divided into rooms, are giving way to open-space arrangements as a result of changes in the mentality of superiors and personnel as well as spatial planning. An open-plan accommodates a larger number of desks, which Americans, pioneers in this trend, discovered a long time ago. A contemporary office must also be flexible and adaptable to different needs and situations. Hence the popularity of modular furniture that is mobile, and a fashion for "hot desks" for employees who spend most of their time outside the office.

When we look at the developments of recent years, stability is a word that no longer comes to mind. Our workplace is changing; we have better tools and work faster and faster. The race goes on.