What will AI mean for the roles in your business, and your space decisions?
Image credit: “K” at Pexels
AI is changing what roles look like. In this article I explore what it might mean for your next lease and fit-out decision.
If you're planning a lease renewal, a headcount forecast, or a new fit-out brief in the next year or two, its important to take some fundamental workforce changes into account: the roles in your business are set to shift, and this will impact your space and fit out decisions.
A new report from AWA in the UK sheds light on these changes. It's one of the more useful pieces of research on AI and workplace demand I've come across so far, and worth unpacking for what it means practically.
Roles will disappear and new ones emerge, but most will remain, and change substantially
Over the next five years, AWA expects a net reduction in workforce demand — but net reduction is not a simple story of jobs disappearing and space shrinking to match. Some roles, like admin, may shrink or disappear. Others — e.g. research, knowledge work — will expand as AI increases what one person can do. New roles will emerge that don't exist yet.
According to the report, 60% of roles across all types of work, are expected to see a 30-40% shift in the nature of what the role actually involves day to day. That's not “the job disappears.” It's “the job changes substantially” — the mix of routine processing, augmented AI-assisted work, and collaboration shifts.
That's a fundamentally different planning problem than just desk or occupancy reduction. The focus shifts to the nature of work and the activities and rhythms that form it. A blanket approach to space planning risks an average (or actively detracting) result for your organisation.
What this means for physical workplace decisions
Get the detail, not just the net number. Most role profiles will change in some way. When space planning, it's the specific shifts in your organisation's role mix that matter - not a high-level headcount projection.
Design for flexibility over time. The balance of routine processing versus AI-augmented work will keep shifting, and so will the time and nature of collaboration. Both affect occupancy and space design over time, not just on day one.
Build in the option to shift. Office footprint may need to shift too. Plan for that optionality in lease terms too.
Because this is a moving target, it's worth building in a regular check-in —e.g. annually, or every six months — to keep space plans aligned with how roles are actually changing, and then be able to adjust when needed.
The bigger opportunities
Cognitive relief: Underneath all of this is a more interesting shift. As AI takes over more routine and administrative work, it brings cognitive relief: less admin, and more automated governance of routine tasks. Done well, that translates into less stress, better workplace experience, and better retention — which is good for the overall resilience of the business, not just for the people in it.
Humanity the differentiator: And as AI becomes more embedded in our ways of working, the inherently human activities and outcomes can take centre stage. As more of the day-to-day becomes tech-based, people will increasingly notice, and choose to be at, the workplaces that still feel human. Creating a workplace experience that supports human wellbeing, connection and community can be a differentiator that not only attracts talent, but supports a resilient business.
Where an outside view helps
Conversations and decisions around workplace change usually involve several stakeholders — HR, real estate, finance, and often the leadership team — each looking at the shift through a different lens. As an independent external specialist, I help bring alignment and clarity to those conversations.
Contact me to find out more (the initial consultation is free).
Get the full AWA report: https://www.advanced-workplace.com/insights/ai-impact-report-2026/