Steelcase survey reveals informal space trend

A recent study by office furniture vendor Steelcase has shed some light on what people really want from their workplace.

A survey of global office employees revealed that although 77% have their own assigned workstations such as a desk or cubicle, 87% spend as many as four hours every day working elsewhere in so-called ‘informal spaces’.

The inclination towards this kind of space – which includes lounge areas, cafes, bars and break rooms – is fuelled by an increasing need to move away from the desk, with 51% saying they wanted an escape from sitting at the same place each day.

Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) said they used informal areas for quiet or focused work, supporting the findings of a similar study by design firm Unispace.