What Will Work Look Like In 2030?

From physical space to workplace culture, a new study reveals the potential in our next 15 years of work.

By Vivian Giang

The idea of work in the past 15 years has changed so much that it’s difficult to imagine what the next 15 years will look like.

According to a new study published by commercial real estate services CBRE and Genesis, a real estate developer from China, many of the ideas, trends, and behaviors that will shape work in 2030 is already evident today. However, some of these changes are quietly emerging and business leaders might not truly understand the significance of their impact on performance, productivity, and retaining talent. Based on the ideas of 220 global experts, office workers, and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, below is a glimpse of what our workplaces will look like in 15 years:

  1. An Office
  2. A Car
  3. Mom's Basement

There will be "places to work," not "workplaces"

The best workplaces will have offices, rooms, and different quiet areas so that workers have choices to where they want to work. Some young workers in the study suggested "mood-based working" areas, which eliminates assigned seating altogether and, instead, allows employees to pick a place to work depending on how they feel that day (i.e. happy, excited, creative, or calm). "The idea of what collaboration means is very different in every culture," says Peter Andrew, CBRE's Director of Workplace Strategy in Asia. "The majority of collaborations actually happen in and around the workplace, like standing around other people’s desk. People will not go to the other side of the room to have coffee every time they want to have a conversation about collaboration." In Asian countries, or collectivist cultures, young people see themselves working in circular layouts or round tables when it’s time for collaboration. They will then have the ability to leave these areas to quieter and reflective spaces for head-down concentration. In Western focus groups, or individualistic cultures, young people see themselves "owning" a primary place of work or having an assigned seat at the table, but still having options to other places for concentration. For alternate places of work, studies show that young people prefer to find solitude in: