The study by ‘International Workplace Group’ asked 11-17-year-olds and their parents in the UK questions about how they expect the workplace to have changed by 2040, when Gen Alpha will comprise the majority of the workforce. It found that almost nine in 10 (87%) expect their working lives to have transformed from those of their parents, with office life unrecognisable from what we know today. 

Daily commute extinct by 2040

One of the starkest predicted changes is around the commute. Only a quarter (25%) of Gen Alpha expects to spend more than 30 mins commuting to work each day – the current working pattern of many parents – with most expecting to have the flexibility to work closer to where they live.  

More than three-quarters (76%) said reducing time wasted through commuting would be a priority, enabling them to spend more time with their own families if they were to become parents in the future.  

Robots and AI to become commonplace. Email to be a thing of the past

The study also explored key technological predications, which unsurprisingly focused heavily on artificial intelligence. Eighty-eight per cent of Gen Alpha expect to be using smart assistants and robots on a regular basis.  

A raft of other technological breakthroughs are expected, including VR headsets for 3D virtual meetings (41%), gaming areas (39%), sleeping pods (34%), personalised temperature and light settings (28%), and augmented reality meeting rooms (24%). 

In perhaps the boldest prediction of all, a third (33%) say email will be dead, replaced by new platforms and technologies to enable more efficient collaboration.  

Hybrid working will underpin new reality

The research also found that hybrid working will be the standard working model. Seventy-nine per cent say that flexible working will be the norm in 2040, with employees given the freedom to choose how and where they work.

Just 14% of Gen Alpha expect to be working from a main office all of the time, with most splitting their time between home, local workspaces, and a central HQ to ensure they can complete the task at hand most efficiently. Key benefits of moving away from a rigid office model included less travel stress (54%), spending more time with friends and family (48%), improved health and wellbeing (45%), and more productive workers (28%).

This flexibility is expected to boost productivity to such an extent that nearly a third (31%) of Gen Alpha say a four-day working week will be the norm by 2040 – it is currently estimated that 10.9% of workers currently work in a four day model.

Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of IWG, commented: “The next generation of workers have made their views clear; flexibility in where and how they work is not optional, but a must. The current generation have grown up seeing their parents waste time and money on long, daily commutes and technology today has effectively rendered them redundant.

“Technology has always shaped the world of work and will continue to do so. Thirty years ago saw the transformative impact of the widespread adoption of email and today the advent of AI and robots is having an equally profound impact and will influence how and where Gen Alpha work tomorrow.”

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