Is this the end of the Industrial Revolution?

In the past week or so, Best Buy has gotten a lot of attention for it’s results based evaluation policy. Under this plan employees can work whenever and pretty much wherever they wish as long as the work gets done. This is being hailed as a big advancement in work/life flexibility. In New Mexico, where I live, I know quite a few people who work from home full or part time for out of state companies. In my case, I moved but I am still working part time in the same job I had in Virginia. I think I actually accomplish more working part time out of my home that I did when I was in the office full time.

But I wonder, if virtual working arrangements might be the norm in the future. Is work transitioning back to where it was before the Industrial Revolution when most people worked essentially for themselves using their own equipment. In fact, there are all cadres of virtual professionals who work for clients throughout the country over the Internet as independent contractors. Is this a good thing? I think offering flexibility is a good thing — many jobs can be accomplished during non-traditional business hours. However, a regular salary does give a certain amount of security about how much money is coming in. I’m not sure that going to a pay by the page method is really in the best interest of workers.

What do you think?