The central question we ask our clients is, what if your workplace inspired creativity, fostered wellness, increased productivity, reduced stress, and optimized real estate investment? This is the vision every employer should aspire to. A surprising element to this equation: the role of the traditional workstation, or cubicle. Though it may not seem like it, the concept of the cubicle never really went away; it has just evolved over the years, reframed through a new look, new placements, and an entirely new way of thinking about what happens around them. There is a collective understanding that the workstation is not the sole place where workers get their work done – that is the entire office. However, it does remain a critical element of a thriving, productive work environment.
Making the Case for the Workstation
While offices have prioritized socialization and collaboration since the shift to hybrid work schedules, creating a balance of collaboration and focus spaces will enable offices to meet the differing needs of each employee. A mix of open office set-ups, workstations, and other space types will support quick shifts in work posture. This is an important aspect of designing for neurodiversity. Recent JLL research found that while employees value collaboration, an average of 51 percent of time is spent on individual working, making it the most common activity in the office. Employee preferences may differ on where to complete this type of work, but for those who require minimal distractions, workstations offer acoustical privacy and less interruptions. For this reason, workstations also serve as a nice retreat when needed.
There are economic benefits to not forgoing the workstation, as well. It’s less expensive to have a workstation than to build a private office with the same footprint. Since workstations are considered furniture, they are financially accounted for differently than construction costs and can be depreciated over a shorter period of time, bringing their lifecycle costs lower than those of hard wall construction.
Additionally, with less private offices, the floor plate remains flexible and easy to reconfigure. This is helpful in that the users can reconfigure areas to flex with the changing needs of departments and provide less renovations when leasing spaces to new users.
Optimizing a Focus Environment
Workplace design should intuitively communicate where interruptions and distractions are welcome, and incorporating acoustic controls through floor plate planning and applications is an effective way to do so. Typically, workstations are turned to for individual or focus work, so their surroundings should support that. Workplaces have leaned into creating “zones” or “neighborhoods” where workstations exist in clusters, with visual or auditory barriers from active zones. Configuring workstations in neighborhood zones ideally creates a workflow for the users in those zones where staff is all working on similar tasks, so distractions from non-relevant conversations and activities are reduced. Placing workstations away from high traffic and gathering areas or providing visual barriers such as plants and screens between workstations and busy centers also aids in defining these neighborhood zones.
In terms of applications, sound absorptive surfaces like carpet and acoustic foam, sound masking (ambient background sound), and providing access to noise canceling technology like headphones will make the workstation a more comfortable, productive space to work in and further protect employees from distraction. When complete privacy or silence is needed, furniture such as soundproof pods is a useful solution, providing a clear indication that zero interruptions are appreciated, with a general rule of thumb being one pod for every 20 employees.
Designing for Comfort and Control
Technology has evolved to where the footprint of the workstation has shrunk. Desktop computers have decreased in size and the increasingly more common use of laptop computers in lieu of desktop computers has freed up work surface area, allowing more efficient use of space since it is not being allotted to large equipment. Within the workstation, ergonomic seating is a must. It allows for movement which will decrease fatigue and stiffness, particularly important in the event someone is using their workstation for the majority of their day. Sit to stand desks also encourage movement and allow for varying postures within the workstation itself, while elevating equipment onto adjustable arms enable users to adjust the monitors to a position within the station that is comfortable. Historically, a common complaint of cubicles was the lack of access to natural light. Bringing solid panel heights down or introducing glass panels addresses this concern, letting in plenty of daylight.
Workers can feel stress if they think they won’t have the autonomy they have when working at home, so choice and control are key. Today, the workstation is often shared between a couple different employees. It is essential for workstations to be flexible and customizable per user to provide this sense of control. Means and methods have been developed to allow for personal storage within a shared station, such as fixed storage with separate locks per drawer/compartment or mobile storage that can be docked elsewhere and brought to the workstation by the employee when they are in use. As mentioned above, monitor arms are especially useful in providing the user with a more efficient and flexible space. In addition, height adjustable surfaces for laptops, task lighting for focus work and convenient power access at the work surface (power and USB charging) enhance the user experience within the workstation.
Scheduling software is critical, allowing employees to book a workstation for the days they anticipate being in the office. This will avoid double-booking scenarios and relieve any frustrations of an employee going into the office and ultimately not having an available workstation. The appropriate number of workstations depends on how many people are needing a desk on any given day. It boils down to company culture. If employers allow an in-office schedule of 3 days per week but it’s mandatory that everyone be in the office on the same 3 days, a 1:1 ratio would be needed. We have been seeing a range of one desk for 1.2 people up to 1:1.5 people. It all depends on how the company operates. One way to plan for this is to make sure that the ancillary spaces are equipped to take the overflow if everyone happens to be in at the same time. Providing surfaces and technology to support the workflow in these areas helps stretch the efficiency of the workplace.
For The Gilbane Building Company’s Columbus office, designed by Moody Nolan, workstations were provided for each team member who works in the office, but being a construction company, many of their staff are in the field. When those employees are in the office, they can choose from any number of ancillary zones to sit and work from their laptop, at several different postures. Technology and power are provided in the furniture in these areas for plug and play connectivity.
While workstations are just one place within the office where work can be accomplished, they remain a necessary element of a workplace that merges work with relational connection, well-being, and personal interests. KPMG’s 2024 CEO Outlook reveals that 83 percent of CEOs are expecting a full return to the office within the next three years, a notable increase from 64 percent in 2023. With more anticipation of a full return to the office, employees will be comfortable knowing that they have access to a variety of spaces to both connect and find privacy without distracting others nearby.