What a screenless office would mean for workplace and facilities management
3rd November 2025
Anthony Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at BW: Workplace Experts, explores the future balance between people and screens in the workplace.
The maturing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) agents, particularly voice interfaces and ambient computing, are prompting a rethink of the office’s relationship with screens.
While fully screenless workplaces remain years away, organisations are already experimenting with screen-reduced environments where AI handles routine interactions that once required monitors, keyboards, and dashboards.
For workplace and facilities management, this shift presents opportunities and practical questions worth examining now.
Rethinking spatial constraints
When fewer fixed screens dictate how spaces are arranged, FM teams gain flexibility in workplace design. Meeting rooms needn’t orient around wall-mounted displays, and desks can prioritise ergonomics and collaboration over monitor placement.
Voice-activated AI agents combined with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors could enable spaces that adapt themselves, adjusting lighting, temperature and booking status through simple spoken requests rather than app interfaces.
From dashboards to conversation
Instead of cycling through facilities dashboards, FM teams could interact with building systems conversationally. Ambient sensors might detect air quality issues and surface them through voice alerts.
Staff could report problems verbally; for instance, spoken remarks such as: “The heating isn’t working in meeting room three” would trigger immediate work orders without opening an app.
Implementation will be gradual. Many WFM tasks (reviewing floor plans, analysing energy data, coordinating contractors) benefit from visual information that screens provide efficiently.
Additionally, privacy concerns about ambient monitoring need to be addressed. Cost considerations matter too, as voice AI infrastructure and IoT retrofits require significant investment, and ROI timelines won’t suit every organisation. The shift also raises accessibility questions, as some users prefer or require visual interfaces over voice-based systems.
Rather than a complete replacement, we’re likely going to see a recalibration, with screens becoming tools we choose rather than defaults we require. For WFM professionals, this means expertise evolving toward orchestrating intelligent, responsive environments rather than simply maintaining systems.
The screenless office may be aspirational, but the screen-optional workplace is already taking shape. Understanding these possibilities now positions WFM teams to guide this transition thoughtfully rather than react to it later.
Orginally published by Facilitate Magazine.
