Generation Alpha expects the office of the future to be unrecognisable — one shaped by artificial intelligence, flexible hours, and an end to the daily commute.
A new UK-wide study from International Workplace Group (IWG) of more than 1,000 11–17-year-olds and their parents finds that nearly nine in ten respondents (87%) believe their careers will differ dramatically from their parents’ experience.
One of the starkest predictions concerns travel to work. Only a quarter of respondents (25%) expect to spend more than 30 minutes commuting each day. Three quarters (76%) said cutting time lost to travel will be a key priority, with many citing a desire to spend more time with family.
Technology is also expected to transform how people work. Eighty-eight per cent of Generation Alpha respondents expect to work regularly with AI tools or robots, while a third (33%) predict the death of email, replaced by faster, more interactive communication platforms. Other forecasts include 3D virtual meetings via VR headsets (41%), dedicated gaming areas (39%), sleeping pods (34%), and personalised temperature and lighting settings (28%).
Flexibility will remain central to workplace design. Seventy-nine per cent of those surveyed believe hybrid working will be the standard model by 2040, with just 14% expecting to work exclusively from a main office. The study highlights the perceived benefits: reduced stress from travel (54%), more family and social time (48%), improved wellbeing (45%), and greater productivity (28%).
A third of respondents (31%) also anticipate that the four-day week will become mainstream — a striking increase from today’s 10.9% of workers who operate on that model.
IWG founder and chief executive Mark Dixon said flexibility will be “not optional, but a must,” adding that the next generation has “grown up seeing their parents waste time and money on long, daily commutes and technology today has effectively rendered them redundant.”
He continued: “Technology has always shaped the world of work and will continue to do so. Thirty years ago, the widespread adoption of email was transformative — today, the advent of AI and robots is having an equally profound impact and will influence how and where Gen Alpha work tomorrow.”
For IWG and the wider workplace sector, the findings suggest that location-independent models will dominate the next 15 years of corporate infrastructure. As hybrid and AI-enabled systems take hold, employers are likely to face increasing expectations around autonomy, wellbeing, and access to local workspaces — not just home and office.
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