Many predicted the death of office spaces, as new technologies consume workers lives and enable the nearly instantaneous creation of a workspace anywhere, anytime.
Samsung has today lifted the veil into the work place of the future, in a report developed in partnership with The Future Laboratory, MIT, Google and IBM
The study revealed that the workforce of the future will work in Creative Villages, centred around smart offices designed to maximise creativity, productivity and staff wellbeing – instead of working remotely.
Offices’ hierarchies are also predicted to change with smart technology boosting face-to-face interaction between staff and reshaping the office environment to be less stressful, less overloaded and more productive.
Mission critical barriers will be overcome, as "smart systems that know us better than we know ourselves" will shield workers from email and communications overload.
The reports revels how intelligent solutions will complete administration tasks for workers and screening out all the non-essential messages and distractions.
In a Screen Shift, computers are set to become invisible and only display desktops when needed. Surfaces like tables and walls will be used as a screen, which will pop up with the user’s hand gestures and voice commands.
These technologies will introduce into the workplace a new hand signal etiquette as staff adjust to interacting with gesture-controlled smart systems, according to the research.
Big Data Team Building will help to create the perfect teams by matching employees’ skills based on historical success, optimise workforce productivity and allow workers to focus on their core roles.
The study said Millennials’ work needs will be met with big data bringing teams closer together and stripping away traditional hierarchical structures. Business productivity is also predicted to increase, as smart technology will take over admin duties too.
In a Cultural Bottle Neck, Samsung urged business leaders to take on new technologies and modernise before their competitors in order to survive the next decade.
The firm added in the report that the biggest threat to the development of the smart office of the future are cultural hesitations and reluctance to modernise, stepping away from today’s office concepts.
Andy Griffiths, President of Samsung UK & Ireland, said: "Whilst this report looks at the future, adopting smart technology has huge economic potential for the UK economy and individual businesses today.
"The only thing standing in the way of adoption of this technology is business leaders that are yet to realise the potential benefits it can bring. Smart technology is the future; it’s happening now and those who fail to make the most of this may well not survive into the next decade."
A survey conducted by PwC in 2014, found that 77% of office workers believe that smart technology will make them more efficient and productive and 46% believe their company should invest in smart technology.
