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Senator series: 5 facts which change for opinion about office (4.part)

The penultimate part of our series which tracks the results of the research is dedicated to the work tables. Find out how much we need them and if will remain a firm part of a workplace.

21. 9. 2018

To understand ‘how we work’, Senator surveyed 2,000 UK employees, taking into account their gender, age, sector, size of employer and location. The answers proved illuminating, as while some popular perceptions were cemented by the findings, we also found that some were challenged by the new influences shaping the modern workplace.

One thing remains constant throughout the survey: our love of the desk. New ways of working have come and gone but the task chair and desktop remain central to the UK doing business in a comfortable and efficient manner. The research also identified that ‘sharing’ has become a buzzword led by the influence of social media. Privacy remains a huge concern for all concerned – an issue that has been exacerbated as floorplates have become smaller and divides broken down.

It’s clear to see that over the past decade, office trends have moved ever further from the standard desk environment. Consensus suggests that the cubicle is very much dead now that hot desking, mobile working and standing desks have become widely accepted by businesses.

However, despite the cubicle rapidly heading towards extinction, the research found that the desk still remains one of the most vital aspects of the UK’s office, regardless of a person’s job role or seniority in their company. To some, the results should be of no surprise: we’ve become accustomed to working at a desk from such a young age and therefore conducting work from a desk has become habitual. But it is also still extremely functional, so why has it become so decried?

 

Artistic breakout spaces are fast becoming a common sight within the workplace as employers create additional areas as alternatives to working at the desk. However, the research suggests that the demand for these alternative workstations may not be as high with the majority of the UK population when it comes to completing concentration intense activities. We adopt relaxed postures during refreshment times, which can still be used for collaborative exchanges, but there is little to suggest that this preference has successfully translated to standard working processes. So while the breakout spaces certainly still have huge value, functionally they serve a very different purpose.

What does coincide with current trends within the office market place is that even though the majority (81 per cent) of the population would prefer to be sat at a desk when carrying out intense tasks like writing,  research found that 41 per cent of those would prefer the option to change their working height. This would revolutionise the way many businesses design their workplace, and could be an ideal change in attitude for businesses looking to campaign against a sedentary lifestyle.

Another point employers need to account for is the high proportion of the UK population that prefer to write an email in a traditional environment, with 75 per cent of employees choosing to send emails from their desk. As mobile working becomes more widely encouraged, employers need to be wary of the pressures it puts on employees needing desk space to work. Equally, providing adequate desk space may need to be a consideration for those dropping into the office to hot desk.  

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