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INTRODUCTION Current issues facing human resources are expected to change dramatically in the next 20 years. Thus, human resource professionals must play special roles in dealing with these changes and must develop specific competencies to support these roles. This essay will outline major changes expected in the future, as well as the roles, competencies and tools necessary to overcome these changes. EXPECTED CHANGES AND THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS Workplace flexibility is expected to be on the rise as the future workplace, the "virtual office", is characterized by creative and flexible work arrangements. As more employees work off-site, two-thirds of an organization in the 21st century, there will be an increase in emphasis on performance and results as opposed to the number of hours worked. In addition, off-site employees can expect to attend fewer meetings. Specified work will become much more collaborative and management will spend nearly all its time managing cross-functional work teams who have a great deal of autonomy. In essence, we will be moving towards a decentralized model of HR. Human resource professionals will have to accommodate employees in their virtual work locations and find ways to manage cor