Kerr Office Group‘s Sarah Payne gives us the rundown on how to prepare for Gen Alpha who will be entering the workforce with high (tech) expectations.
While Gen Z now account for over a quarter of the workforce, and five generations work side-by-side in many organisations, in just a few years the next generation will join the workforce. Gen Alpha (born 2010-2025), the first generation to have grown up entirely in the 21st century, are already extremely tech savvy and are likely to bring with them an expectation of high-tech integration, smart automation and multiple digital tool use, as they start work.
Research completed by Visa at the end of 2023 concluded they would be the most entrepreneurial generation to date. Equally values driven as their Gen Z older siblings, they’ll be committed to sustainability and social impact, and are likely to bring increasingly unique perspectives as the most diverse generation to date. Businesses that build these attributes into their workplace environment and culture today, will benefit from remaining attractive to the talent of tomorrow.
76% of children aged 8-14 want to be their own boss or have a side hustle. In contrast only 13% of today’s workforce is self-employed
(Visa, 2023)
It’s Time to Get Smart
Gen Alpha bring unparallelled comfort with technology, shaping their expectations for communication, collaboration and work/life balance. As AI natives, they’ll be looking to work in highly tech-enabled businesses, expectant of automation to support their comfort and experience, equally at home in a virtual workspace, as face-to-face settings, and well versed in a wide variety of digital collaboration tools and platforms.
Businesses looking to attract this cohort must integrate cutting-edge technologies such as remote work solutions and data-driven decision-making tools that keep pace and align with consumer tech experiences.
40% of Generation Alpha believe AI, virtual reality, and smart assistants will be central to their future careers
(Visa, 2023)
Flexibility Will Become BAU
Forward-thinking workplaces are already embracing flexibility – whether that is in working patterns to ensure they can attract and retain the best talent – or to optimise their office space. In both cases, this is only likely to continue as Gen Alpha join businesses and organisations. Workspaces will need to be dynamic and modular in their approach, flexing for multiple types of work, ensuring mobility, collaboration and peer-to-peer learning are incorporated within workplace design. Equally, Gen Alpha’s desire for balance will see businesses looking again at not just where work is done but how it fits into their employees’ lifestyles and works alongside their wellbeing.
73% of Gen Alpha want the choice between working from home and the office
(TMPW, 2025)
Preparing Inclusive Spaces
Employers are already experiencing increasing team members who identify as neurodiverse, and these numbers are only set to increase. Here at Kerr, we have been incorporating inclusive design into our strategies for some time. This involves exploration of the diverse spaces needed for colleagues to not only support a variety of working styles, but equally to support mood and comfort throughout the working day. We consider lighting, providing variety and control to help neurodiverse individuals adjust their location to help with levels of concentration, mood management, and wellbeing. Avoiding visually jarring patterns and colours can also ensure office spaces are welcoming to all.
A Globally Conscious Generation Like No Other
Gen Alpha are likely to be more socially, politically and environmentally aware than any generation before them. They have grown up during the climate crisis, witnessing many disasters caused by extreme weather, and many will have travelled internationally from a young age. For employers, their purpose and values will not only need to be well communicated but well evidenced to connect meaningfully with this cohort. Kite marks such as B-Corp and BREEAM, or similar accreditations that demonstrate social and environmental commitments will gain value as these discerning individuals bring a critical eye to any sustainability or social impact claims.
Office locations will need to operate as environmentally as possible, even delivering on carbon neutral commitments, while offering team members a wellbeing-centric experience. To get ahead, forward-thinking businesses are already introducing wellbeing design elements into their workplace design. Biophilic design and considered lighting can help reduce anxiety, improve social wellbeing, and boost energy. At Kerr, we now start all projects with exploration around how AI and automation can help balance lighting and temperature to support colleague comfort, while optimising energy use to reduce carbon emissions.
Creating Cultures of Continuous Learning
Known as “techsperts”, Gen Alpha are likely to expect ongoing and personalised learning reflective of the tech and media consumption they experience at home. For organisations designing training for this new generation, it’s time to take gamification and VR to the next level, integrating AI-training and gamified learning into skills development programmes. Learning preferences will lean towards interactive, bite-sized content, so businesses should consider microlearning techniques to keep employees engaged and up-to-date.
‘TikTokers’ and ‘YouTubers’ are leading the way as sources of inspiration, as social media and content creators emerge as most influential factors in stimulating ideas (61%), vs more conventional sources of inspiration such as drawing and writing (47%), reading (34%), and playing with toys (26%).
With just a few years to go before Gen Alpha join the working population, there’s never been a better time to start to integrate new technologies and transform your workplace design in preparation for the future needs of your business. Those that act now, will not only be prepared for the next generation, they’ll gain competitive advantage against slower moving businesses within their industry today.
