The Workplace of the Future: Tracing the transformations in the workplace and in working life

The contemporary workplace has undergone profound transformations over centuries, driven by societal, economic, and technological changes. Globalization and open labour markets have paved the way for neo-liberal labour market ideals, characterized by the rise of knowledge work
as an economic engine and a shift from traditional careers to flexible jobs and project-based work (Dunn et al., 2023). This has given rise to new types of work and new ways of working.
Many organizations have tried to accommodate these changes in working patterns, addressing the increased workforce demand for flexible work arrangements while balancing the need to maximize organisational performance and space efficiency. Attention has been drawn to
different types of initiatives introduced under various labels, including open-plan offices, freeseating, Activity-Based Working (ABW) (Wyllie et al., 2012). While the 20th-century workplace was characterized as process-driven and mechanistic, the 21st-century workplace is characterized by increased flexibility, mobility and hybrid work arrangements, but also
boundaryless working conditions and an accelerated pace of work fulled by digitalization (Holt et al., 2013; Kamp et al., 2022). These transformations have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, further highlighting the need to rethink modern workplaces.
This study traces the transformations in a workplace at a large Danish company, using participatory futuring and inviting employees to co-create a timeline reflecting the past, present, and future workplace. Analysis of our empirical data led to the creation of a compass (Fig. 2) that visualizes the identified transformations in the workplace, juxtaposing the past, present, and
future along three core dimensions: technology, space, and work. Our study found that many of the challenges identified two decades ago still persist and that neither current technologies nor workspaces adequately support flexible and hybrid work arrangements. Furthermore, the study revisits early predictions of the future workplace and juxtaposes them with current visions
captured in this study, discussing what has changed and what has not in the contemporary workplace, and offering future directions.
By sharing these insights, which are shaped by our disciplinary backgrounds in the fields of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), with the Nordic Working Life community, we hope to spark a discussion across disciplines about the future of workplaces, including workspaces, technologies, work, and working life. Integrating
insights from these diverse disciplines will provide us with a stronger understanding of how these transformations in the workplace over the past decades are linked to broader societal and economic changes. This understanding can help us design and construct better workplaces and
working conditions for the future