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 non-existent
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 tête-à -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.
Courtesy of drb Business Interiors