Nearly on-third of the 2,347 office workers surveyed in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Atlanta report an increase in hiring. At the same time, 83 percent of the employers experiencing increases in hiring indicate their organizations are fitting new hires into existing space rather than moving to larger office environments.
“It’s a challenge facing many companies who need to scale up with great talent but still need to contain costs,” says Jeff Jollay, vice president of marketing for The HON Company, which manufacturers interior furniture and conducted the survey. “To make the space adjustment an easier one for employees, many companies are looking for smart, stylish furniture options that maximize functionality and privacy while offering a sense of personality to the office environment.”
In the four cities surveyed, fewer employees have their own private office space. Fifty-six percent work in panel-system environments, 36 percent work in private offices and 8 percent work in open-office environments with no walls or dividers between work areas. Ten percent of those surveyed share their workstations or offices with co-workers, but given a choice, eight out of 10 of all respondents would prefer to have their own private panel-system versus sharing a private office with a co-worker.
The top three reasons workers prefer a private panel-system are privacy but still feeling part of a group (59 percent); not having to share a space with anyone else (57 percent); and having a place to “call my own” (47 percent).
People are expecting more from their workstations than they did in the past. Sixty percent of those surveyed believe panel-systems — once referred to by the industry as cubicles — are more stylish than they were five years ago. Respondents believe they look sleeker and more stylish (64 percent); newer panel-system environments have places to hide power cords and wires (58 percent); and fabrics are more reflective of consumer tastes (62 percent).
Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed say they care about the colors and fabrics of their panel-system walls, and 84 percent believe stylish fabrics of various colors, textures and patterns help improve the look of office panel-system workspaces.
