Some elements of the 2025 Workplace Vision have come to life, while others remain a “work in progress” or distant ambition. Here’s how the workplace has evolved across the three pillars: Everywhere, Everything, Everyone – and what’s still Future in Progress.
In 2011, we envisioned a bold new world of work for 2025. The vision was ambitious: physical offices would become obsolete, hierarchies would make way for dynamic structures, and limitless talent would drive innovation.
Now, 2025 is here. Has reality lived up to the promise – or has the future taken a different path? This was the question at the heart of a Future of Work project at Intel in 2011: what will it feel like to work in 2025? Back then, work revolved around physical offices, clear hierarchies, and a practice-based approach to managing talent. Smartphones, wireless connectivity, and cloud computing were beginning to hint at new possibilities, but their transformative impact was far from being realized.
Now that 2025 is here, it’s a time to reflect on the “future of work” we’ve predicted and where it stands today. Some elements of the 2025 vision have come to life, while others are still a “work in progress” or distant ambition. Here’s how the workplace has evolved across the three pillars: Everywhere, Everything, Everyone – and what’s still Future in Progress.
Everywhere is the new workplace location
In 2011, the workplace was synonymous with physical offices. Most workers commuted to office spaces equipped with desktops, landlines and conference rooms. Telecommuting was emerging but not yet commonplace, and while smartphones, wireless networks and cloud platforms were beginning to decouple work from specific locations, these tools were not yet being fully utilised. For most, work meant a place you went.
The 2025 Future of Work vision envisioned a world where physical offices would no longer be central. Offices were expected to evolve into hubs for collaboration and social gatherings rather than daily destinations. Advances in technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) were predicted to enable seamless remote collaboration, mimicking the experience of being in the same room. Autonomous vehicles and smart transportation systems were expected to alleviate commuting challenges, making location less relevant.
Today, the workplace has indeed become more untethered. The pandemic accelerated the shift to hybrid work, with employees working remotely part-time or fully in ways once considered unfeasible. Offices have been reimagined as spaces for connection and creativity, while cloud-based platforms such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams and Zoom have become indispensable. However, immersive VR/AR technologies remain a niche, and autonomous transportation systems are far from transforming the commute.
The trends toward untethered work are clear, but the pace of adoption of collaboration tools and smart transportation systems remains slower than expected. While these shifts are still on track, they will require further technological development and cultural integration before they become mainstream.
Everything is the New Work
In 2011, work was structured around fixed roles, rigid hierarchies, and clearly defined job titles. Success was measured by climbing the corporate ladder, and the project/self-employed/project/consulting economy was still in its infancy. Freelancers were the outliers, and organizations prioritized stability and predictability. Work was defined by tasks and roles rather than outcomes or adaptability.
The 2025 vision envisioned a radical change. Work would become more dynamic, with project-based networks replacing hierarchies. The project economy and freelancing were seen as major positive disruptors, creating a vast and flexible talent pool. It was predicted that smart systems and artificial intelligence (AI) would automate routine tasks, allowing people to focus on creativity, strategy, and purpose-driven work.
Elements of this vision are clearly visible today. Self-employment and portfolio careers are becoming more common as professionals combine freelancing and entrepreneurial activities with part-time jobs. Some organizations are experimenting with flatter structures, forming cross-functional teams around projects rather than rigid departments.
Yet traditional models persist. Full-time work The dominant structure, and hierarchies continue to provide stability and control. AI has made progress in automating repetitive tasks, but is only beginning to show its potential as a creative collaborator. The evolution towards fluid and dynamic work structures is progressing, albeit unevenly. Dynamic team models and AI partnerships are gaining traction, but have not yet fundamentally disrupted traditional work models.
Everyone is the New Talent
In 2011, the workforce was defined by specific employment contracts. Companies set up full-time teams, often locally sourced, and focused on developing and retaining talent within the organization. Employees were seen as strictly individuals in employment, rather than as partners to collaborate with, as reflected in terms such as ‘employees’, ‘human resources’ and ‘human capital’.
The 2025 vision envisioned a workforce that was free from traditional employment relationships. Companies would collaborate more with freelancers, consultants, part-timers, sourcing talent dynamically across local, European and even global platforms. The workforce was expected to span five generations, with older workers likely to remain active into their 70s and 80s.
Today, these shifts are evident in the rise of alternative work arrangements and associated different types of employment contracts or other forms of contract, and the rise of self-employment and “multi-role” professionals. Many companies now rely on flexible workforces for specialized projects, while global talent and expertise markets have broken down geographic barriers, enabling access to skills across the globe. Workers increasingly combine roles, move frequently between organizations, or pursue entrepreneurial activities alongside traditional jobs.
However, this transformation remains incomplete. Full-time employment still dominates, and legal and cultural restrictions limit the seamless integration of global talent. Pension standards and societal expectations have also slowed the integration of older workers into the mainstream workforce. While trends toward more fluid and collaborative talent models continue, the vision of fully borderless and multi-generational talent ecosystems remains a longer-term ambition.
The journey from 2011 to 2025 – and beyond
Much of what was envisioned for 2025 in 2011 has become reality: hybrid work is now standard practice, the project/self-employment/consulting and flexible workforce economy is booming, and AI is changing the way tasks are approached. Yet some ambitions – such as greater virtual collaboration, seamless global talent ecosystems, and the full integration of older workers – remain on the horizon and are developing more slowly than expected.
Tomorrow’s workplace will continue to evolve under the principles of Everywhere, Everything, Everyone – shifting the boundaries between work and home, redefining roles and hierarchies, and expanding the global reach of talent. Understanding this journey reveals not only where we’ve been, but also what’s possible in the future.
Perhaps it’s time to embrace the fact that we haven’t fully figured out the future of work – and ask ourselves again: what will it be like to work in 2040?
The Stainable team is ready to take on challenges in 2025 as well. The new office offers us a pleasant workplace so that we can come up with new ideas and solutions together, creatively and socially connecting to advise our clients on issues concerning all ESG-related matters such as CSRD compliance, sustainability and valuations or on SFDR and the EU Taxonomy. Stainable certainly also focuses on the "S" within the ESG spectrum in its advice. Sustainable and Responsible Business. After all, based on the CSRD, companies will also have to report on this aspect. In short, the way in which the company deals with social issues: how the organization deals with employees, the relationships that the organization has and its impact on society.
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