Benching vs. Cubicles. Why continue to subject ourselves to the “cube farm” as Scott Adams’ so adoringly referred to it in his Dilbert comics. We’ll get to that. But first, let’s discuss this trend that’s been popping up over offices everywhere; benches.
Benches actually take up less space than cubicle workstations, meaning more workers can be accommodated in a smaller area. They create a more open working environment; one where we can sit among our coworkers and collaborate throughout the workday. Depending on what one does for work, this can be extremely beneficial. Ideally, the more chances we have to openly communicate without setting up a designated time for meetings, the more easily ideas will flow and therefore working together as a team will happen more often. There’s less surface room in benching than in cubicles, meaning less room for clutter and more efficient use of work-space. Also, since benches do not have panels (which tend to be the most expensive part of cubicles) they cost less than cubicle workstations. We gathered some of these examples from the Lane Office blog, which you can check out here.
Now for some reasons why we’re not entirely ready to say goodbye to the “cube farm”. Cubicles offer privacy where benching does not. This can be pertinent to workers who have a need for confidentiality in what they do. Some of us have jobs that require us to be on the phone for a large portion of the day. Cubicles come in handy here too; no need to have everyone’s conversations overlapping one another. Not to mention the nonstop conversations happening around us can be quite distracting. So, depending on the type of environment you’re in and the nature of your job, cubicles may be the right option for you. We enjoyed reading some testimonials on benching vs cubicle workstations here.
Stay tuned in to our blog for more to come about furniture 🙂