Are you outfitting a brand new location or revamping an old facility with new furniture? One of the most important decisions you’ll make is the type of worksurfaces you provide for employees. After seating, this is the office furniture that has the greatest influence on their day-to-day work. And it has an even bigger impact on how efficiently you use the available space. Let’s take a look at the four basic options.
Desks – The Bullpen Original
Individual desks are the traditional choice because they can be provisioned in so many different configurations. There’s a simple rectangle, an L-shape, a full U-shape, and more. Employees feel a sense of ownership since each desk can be positioned apart from the adjacent workspaces. Built-in under desk storage completes the self-sufficiency of these workstations. They are a good choice for wireless offices that don’t require much cabling or wiring.
Cubicles – The Mini-Office
Cubes offer the same configuration options as desks, but they include greater visual and acoustic privacy. Workstations can be closely adjoined yet still separated by panels, saving floor space without making employees feel too crowded. Overhead bins and vertical rail systems make cubicles the ideal option for offices that need lots of storage space per worker. Runways can conceal wires and cables to power each workstation.
Benches – The Current Trend
Benching is the ultimate space-saving solution with it’s truly tiny footprint. An office workbench is basically one long worksurface with shared structural components (such as legs) from one station to the next. It’s a good choice for teams that collaborate and communicate on a regular basis, but the setup can be distracting for employees who need to focus for extended periods. The central spine on a benching system makes power and cable distribution simple, often saving the most money in this area compared to other options.
Worktables – The Wave of the Future
Worktables are free-standing like desks, but are usually only available in simple rectangular configurations. Today’s hot trend in worktables is height-adjustability. Storage is usually minimal and separate from the worktable. Rolling pedestals are a popular option to pair with worktables. These smaller surfaces may be a good choice for offices that are going paperless.
Additional Options
Wall-mounted tables and lounge tables that include seating are other worksurfaces that can be distributed throughout the workplace. These make great touch down spots for flexible work spaces and for mobile workers.
A blog post only has space to scratch the surface of such a big topic! With so many choices, it makes sense to seek expert advice before you buy. Contact The Office Planning Group for an on-site consultation.
HBF—Triscape Does the Trick
With an event the size of NeoCon, there’s a lot of walking involved. Fortunately, there’s also no shortage of seating when it’s time to take a load off and rest your weary feet. This year, NeoCon featured a wide variety of task seating options for attendees to evaluate during their down time. The judges picked some of the best chairs as award winners. Not surprisingly, the top chairs were designed by some of the most well known companies in the industry.
Movement is also the central theme for the MVMT chair from BioFit. This isn’t a traditional office chair. In fact, it’s designed for a much more demanding environment. This seating is available in clean-room and static control versions for technology, industrial, healthcare, and laboratory uses. Like the Mimeo, the MVMT is weight activated to set the tension, minimizing control resetting from one shift to the next.
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