Kaomi Goetz

Headphones have become common in the workplace, allowing people to tune out their co-workers. But in many cases, those same co-workers are still communicating — online. Critics say technology is letting us hide from one another, but in one case study workers who posted on an internal company blog actually increased productivity.

With cellphones nearly ubiquitous, fewer people are relying on watches to tell time. But some retailers are doing brisk business marketing watches as fashion statements, or by appealing to shoppers' sense of novelty or nostalgia.

Many freelance workers opt to work in co-working spaces, where they rent cubicles and other office resources by the day or the month. Now, some companies, in an attempt to promote a certain environment, are becoming increasingly selective about who can work in their space.