What Are Bench Desks And Bench Desking Systems?

Bench Desks

Bench desking systems are used to meet your requirements for space and cost. The office desk systems are best suited to large open spaces and a great for companies that operate desk sharing.

Choosing office furniture isn't something to take lightly, neither is it as simple as opening up a website and picking what makes the biggest statement. There are a number of things to consider ensuring you get the right furniture for your office, including ergonomics, general office theme, lighting, artwork, existing furniture, how it represents your brand, price, and space, just to mention a few.

Office furniture styles have been evolving with each passing day. Over the last decade or so, offices used large wave-style desks or desk pods so as to accommodate bulky CRT monitors. These types of furniture were also ideal for grouping employees in ways that clearly defined teams. Times have changed though, plus, there are several office furniture choices to look into. One important part of your office design is office desk ideas. If you get it wrong, you'll end up with rather uncomfortable employees who'll be less than productive.


There are several different types of office desks in the market today, but benching remains the preferred choice in many offices. As the amount of space available in the offices continues to decrease, bench desk systems are gaining much popularity as they bring extra flexibility and versatility to office desks.

What Are Bench Desks?

They are simply a desk system whose characteristics and appearance resemble that of a bench. They connect what would be two or more free-standing desks to create longer runs of desks, employing the same frame and centre legs as supports for more than one desk. Employees then sit on both sides of the bench, while still enjoying their own space. Bench desking has the ability to transform an office from a static and routine environment to a more dynamic, lively, and productive atmosphere. It's a contemporary style of a desk with a more modern look and features some unique attributes. You can place office workbenches in practically any organizational scenario, especially in environments with larger open-plan spaces or in call centres. They provide a functional, flexible, and versatile workspace suitable for the modern office, all while sporting clean lines and clutter-free spaces. These office desks can also merge seamlessly with other office furniture, particularly desking systems from the reception right through to the executive board room. There are several different benching options to choose from; steel A-frame legs, straight-leg, wooden leg, sliding tops, white office desk tops, or a range of different colour tops, and so on.

To help you make the right choice of bench desk, consider the following:

• Colour: Colour is of key importance as it's partly how your office furniture represents your brand. White bench desks are very popular as they tend to reflect a clean, functional, and fresh office feel. If white is not your preference, most bench desk ranges on the market come in a variety of frame, leg and top colours.
• The positioning of the desks: This greatly affects the amount of space utilized. For instance, 4-person back-to-back desk units require six legs, instead of eight, per set of desks, making them a more practical and cost-effective option.
• Central cable access: This helps to protect the cables and keep the space tidy.
• Screen dividers: This gives more flexibility, especially to those who are unsure about having a completely open plan setup. Bench desk dividers can be added over time, allowing employees to get used to the idea.
• Storage: While the main function of a desk is to provide a place to sit and a tabletop surface to work at, it's also meant to provide storage. The amount of storage for your office work benches will depend on employees' storage needs.
• Available space: The truth is most modern offices have limited space. That's why many have opted for benching as they're designed to save space. Knowing how much space you have to fit your bench style office desks into will dismiss some options right away, offering a more manageable selection to choose from.

What Are Bench Desks Used For?

Times have changed from the traditional working practices, which has also changed the way we use office furniture. Luckily, bench desks come with unique attributes, allowing them to be used for a wide variety of purposes. Bench desks are used for saving space but also for collaboration, as it allows more than one employee to sit at the same desk.

They can function as the regular desks where employees sit to carry out their day-to-day office tasks, including entering data, answering calls, filling, and so on. The desk is also where laptops are placed and other important documents stored. This facilitates an easy movement of employees, thereby saving on labour.

Given that they can accommodate a number of employees in a minimized space, these desks can be used to hold meetings and conferences. They can also complement conference tables in a conference room by offering additional space to hold presentation devices or conference materials.

They can also be used to promote your brand and style. As discussed earlier, bench desks come in a variety of styles, sizes, and colours. Attractive desks provide a favourable impression to visitors, improving the image of the office. Clients are attracted and the company's goodwill increases. It also creates a pleasant environment for employees, which increases the work efficiency of employees.

Another emerging use for these desks is for collaboration. They are designed to allow two or more employees to sit on the same bench. The larger the desk, the more employees can sit together. This not only saves space but also allows work-based collaborations and discussions to happen much more effectively.

As you can see, these desks are flexible, versatile, and useful pieces of office furniture.

Benefits of Bench Desks & Bench Desking

Space Efficiency

Whether for one person or more, bench style office desks are designed to save space. They are available in several different sizes and can easily be placed under a window, up against a wall, or even placed in rows. This utilizes as minimal office space as possible, while still providing more privacy than the standard desk open-design layouts.

Encourages Collaboration and Communication

Having several employees sit on a long bench desk with no visual and spatial obstacles encourages communication. This desk system is much preferred in offices where teamwork is necessary as it brings employees together in an inclusive way. It allows them to share ideas, help each other with projects, and boost morale, all of which increases productivity. Also, by allowing junior and senior staff to work together, this bench system can be used to cut across hierarchy and help engage staff members across the office.

          

Suits a Wide Range of Modern Technology

Each bench desk workstation may be smaller than the traditional curved or L-shaped desks, but the system can still accommodate all types of technology, including laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. Modern desktops are much more streamlined and don't occupy much space.

Encourages the Hot-Desking Idea

More and more workplaces are promoting the hot-desking concept, which is when no employee is allocated a specific desk. Everyone gets to sit where they fancy on a particular day or they are allocated workspaces based on their duties on a given day. This can facilitate much-needed communication among employees.

Adaptable to Changing Business Needs

With bench desking systems, you can arrange desks in several different shapes and plans. You can move desks, add to, or remove them from the existing work bench, depending on your office needs. The flexibility that this desk system provides allows businesses to quickly respond to future office design and staffing needs.

Cost Effective

Their ability to join together and share components like diving screens, frames, and legs, brings manufacturing costs down. This often makes them more affordable than the average desk. Due to the flexibility aspect, bench desks are much more likely to last longer. Also, with desks sitting close to each other, they can share common resources like power cable, helping to further reduce costs.

Comes in a Wide Variety Of Styles & Finishes

Currently, the market is filled with a wide variety of bench systems to fully cater to the growing demand. Gone are the days when you had to settle for block wooden colours and flat surface designs. These desks now come in a variety of desktop colours and frame designs for you to choose from. Although you can create an attractive style, avoid going overboard and stick with what represents your brand accordingly. Your choice also has to stand the test of times, given how costly replacing office furniture can be. In addition, the desks come with the choice of optional extras such as accessory bars, inbuilt storage options, and privacy screens.

Better Cable Management Options

A heap of untangled wires doesn't look neat. Most bench desking features integrated cable management that incorporates cable towers, cable trays, and cable access points; plus, you can have desktop sockets or sliding tops at an added cost. This ensures the clean lines from your bench system don't tarnish by a tangle of cabling. Other than hiding unsightly wires and cables, the bench desk system protects employees from trips and falls.

Looks Good!

The simplicity of the bench desk system gives it such a distinct aesthetic appeal that perfectly complements modern open-plan offices.

If your objectives are to save money –which is something most businesses strive to achieve, cut down on wasted space, and encourage collaboration, while still decorating your office in a way that will stand the test of time, then bench desks are the right way to go.