And yet cubicles are back, spurred by demand from employers and employees alike.
“T frankly thought the cube market was dying,” said Mr Brian Silverberg, who sells refurbished and used office furniture with his brother, Mark, at their store, the Furniture X-Change in North Brunswick, New Jersey. We have sold more cubes in the last three years than in the five years before,” he said, adding that 2024 would be bigger than this year”.
Covid-19 was an amplifier of a trend that preceded the pandemic. But as employees returned to the office after months of working at home, quiet spaces became more important, said Ms Janet Pogue McLaurin of Gensler. We had seen a drop in effectiveness because of noise interruptions, disruptions and a general lack of privacy.”
Global demand has pushed cubicles and partitions to a US$6.3 billion S$8.37 billion) market, which is expected to grow over the next five years to US$8.3 billion, according to a 2022 report from Business Research Insights.
Furniture manufacturers had already recognised that workers wanted some privacy despite the tendency of employers to value collaborative areas more highly than individual workspaces.
Anyone who has ever worked in an office with benches hates the open plan’, said Mr Michael Held, vice-president of global design at the furniture-maker Steelcase.
Working from home during the pandemic offered some relief from noisy co-workers, but it also brought new distractions, including constant interruptions by family members and roommates and the nagging temptation to do household chores. Employees cite a lack of focus as the biggest problem with remote work, said Mr Ryan Anderson, vice-president of global research and insights at MillerKnoll, the furniture-maker, which tracks worker trends with the Boston Consulting Group and the messaging platform Slack.
Denne historien er fra December 25, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 25, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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VERDY'S APPROACH AN EYE-OPENER
Former Lions turned coaches Alam Shah and Isa inspired by stint with Japanese club
Lions' morale-boosting win comes at a price
The Lions got a much-needed morale booster ahead of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship as they beat Tokyo Verdy 2-1 on Oct 11 in the second of three friendlies against J1 League opponents in their Japan training tour.
Conditions to blame for 'ugly' draw, says Messi
Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on Lionel Messi's return, as Brazil got their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Chile on Oct 10.
Belgium punish Italy at set pieces in 2-2 draw
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CARSLEY'S MIDFIELD OVERLOAD BACKFIRES
England temp boss dismayed by mistakes as Three Lions lose to Greece for first time
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SOCCEROOS HAVE NO FEAR
They head to Japan with confidence despite never having beaten the Samurai Blue there
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SABALENKA TO STICK TO HER BRAVE PLAN
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