Ricky Gervais's The Office may soon be viewed not as a brilliant satire on contemporary working practices, but as a quaint reminder of an era when people used to work together in the same building.

The latest YouGov survey estimates that one in three full-time employees now spends at least half a day a week working from home. Through mobile technology, trains and cafés have become temporary work spaces, and many of us work closely with colleagues far and wide.

Euart Glendinning, the managing director of strategy and administration at Morgan Stanley, says that in the fast-moving world of global finance, it is imperative that employees are able to access information wherever they are.

“Our clients expect us to deliver the ‘entire firm’ so, because of the size of the organisation, its global reach and matrixed structure, it is crucial that we keep all our employees updated on what is happening both in the company and elsewhere in the industry”, he says.

Morgan Stanley updates its intranet home page several times a day with live competitor news and stock performances as well as news about the company. Each week begins with a strategy forum in which economists and strategists outline the company’s thinking on market events.

However, Glendinning says that there is still a place for the more traditional methods of communication.

“The technology is extremely useful but it can’t replace face-to-face interaction. So we have a number of deliberately informal ways of bringing staff together. These include our open-door sessions, talks in the workplace that leverage our sponsorships, such as The First Emperor at the British Museum, and cross-divisional gatherings, such as dinners, and conferences.”

Knowledge-sharing is also important in technical industries. Schlumberger has introduced an innovative know-ledge-sharing system known as Eureka so that employees can keep in touch with the company and each other no matter where they are.

“With technical discoveries and innovations being made almost daily, without constant connections the company could lose valuable opportunities or make less-than-optimal decisions,” says Susan Rosenbaum, the director of technical communities and knowledge management.

“Eureka provides a variety of tools including online discussion groups through which people can ask questions that maybe answered by multiple people in multiple geographic areas in a matter of minutes. Eureka also encourages the use of webinars for knowledge-sharing and face-to-face events such as workshops.”

As the company behind much of the software that makes remote working possible, Microsoft might be expected to take a high-tech approach to connectivity. In fact, its introduction of “anarchy areas” seeks to expand on that most low-tech of interactions, the water-cooler moment in which employees interact in an informal environment.

“Anarchy areas are informal, fun and playful places designed to encourage networking, idea generation and creativity as well as being a space where people can go for a break to unwind and recharge,” says Dave Gartenberg, Microsoft’s UK HR director.

“In our experience some of the best ideas are born when you are away from your desk.”

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