In a Wall Street Journal article titled “Office Personal Space Crowded Out”, the author, Sarah E. Needleman notes that workstations have become smaller to save costs, taking a toll on employee privacy. She writes, “many employers are trimming the space allotted for each worker. The trend has accelerated during the recession as employers seek to cut costs and boost productivity. ‘The majority of our clients are moving in the direction of reducing the amount of personal, or what we like to call ‘me’ space’.” says Tom Polucci, group vice president and director of interior design for HOK Group Inc. He says new work stations designed by HOK average 48 square feet, down from 64 square feet about five years ago. Partitions between cubicles also are shrinking, to 4 feet high or less from 5 feet high.
Other design firms report similar findings. They say companies of varying sizes in multiple industries are reducing per-employee office space by as much as 50%, and their total footprint by as much as 25%. The article goes on to state that some companies are removing cubicle walls to create open floor plans. Others are eliminating assigned workspaces for employees who primarily work off campus or spend most of their time in meetings. At any given time, Gensler estimates that 60% of employees are away from their desks.
On the downside, tighter quarters and open floor plans also can present challenges. Open floor plans and low cubicle walls can create discord and lead to increased turnover.
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