BY DOROTHY ROGERS-BULLIS
According to the International Labour
Organization and the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, American employees work more
hours per year than any other industrialized
nation in the world. So if people are going
to spend that much time at work, it can be
well-worth it for companies to invest in work
spaces to improve employees’ ergonomics,
morale, and efficiency.
When designing a workspace, it is crucial
that you take the time to analyze how you and
your employees work, to understand the challenges
you face with your space, and to learn
about ways that other people are working.
If you are interested in updating your office
space, but you are not sure where to begin,
here are a few of the top new trends.
• Standing to work: With study after study
coming out about the health issues associated
with prolonged sitting, the sit-to-stand
desk has become a hot trend in office design.
Offering the flexibility to perform work in
either position, sit-to-stand desks improve
ergonomics, and the variety of vantage points
also sparks creativity.
Sit-to-stand desks are highly appealing
to many people in artistic roles-designers
and writers, for example-as well as younger
employees who like the “cool factor.”
While they aren’t for everyone, it’s a great
option to offer employees.
• Lower workstation walls: The “cubicle
farm” may just face extinction as divider
walls are getting lower and lower. Because 65
percent of the cost of a cubicle is in the vertical
panels, benching-a desk system devoid
of walls- is becoming increasingly popular.
Benching saves money, increases collaboration,
and allows you to fit more employees
into a smaller space.
There are trade-offs with lower or nonexistent
workstation walls, however. Noise
and lack of privacy are seen as problematic
to some employees, while more distractible
people may struggle with concentration and
productivity.
Although there are numerous advantages to
bringing down the walls in your office space,
the decision should be carefully weighed.
• Breakout spaces: Meetings aren’t just
being held in conference rooms anymore.
Employees often feel that traditional business
meetings are too formal, too long, and generally
a waste of time. Instead, teammates are
coming together for shorter, impromptu têteà –
têtes that last a maximum of 20-30 minutes.
Employees are meeting in breakout areas
for these quick sessions, then returning to
their individual workspaces to complete
their tasks.
This kind of meeting style means that
workstations are getting smaller, but shared
meeting spaces are getting larger, both in
number and area. Many companies are designing
their offices to include several of these
brainstorming spaces close to employees’
desks where small groups can come together,
knee-to-knee, instead of around a large conference
table.
Businesses are realizing that in order to
stay ahead and become forerunners in their
industries, they need to encourage this sort
of collaboration among their employees. If
you want to make just one change to your
current office space, this one can be relatively
inexpensive to implement, yet high-impact for
employee efficiency.”
These and other hot trends in office design
can boost productivity in the modern working
world, and a fresh look to your space can
invigorate employees. We often find that sales
and output increase for our clients following
a redesign of their workspace.
Rogers-Bullis is owner of drb Business Interiors,
Saratoga Springs, a leading commercial furniture
sales and office interiors design firm.
Photo Courtesy of drb Business Interiors