Benching systems are the newest trends in office furniture - but are they as productive as they are attractive? As more and more companies switch over to “open concept” workstations, we’re getting insight on whether bringing your employees out of their high walled cubicles is actually beneficial for work efficiency and productivity. Depending on your work environment, benching systems could have a negative outcome on your employee’s work performance. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons for both options to see what system will work best for your company. Cubicles Panels create privacy as well as a sound barrier between work spaces. If you have a sales team or customer relations group who is constantly on the phones, keeping a sound barrier in between work spaces is crucial. Cubicles also give each employee the opportunity to express themselves by making their cubicles their own through personalized decor. Having the opportunity for employees to customize their work environment, whether it’s posting family pictures on their cubicle panels or having accessories on their desks to show a bit of their personal taste can make an employee more comfortable in their space and happier being able to keep the things they love close to them at work. While there are many benefits to cubicles, there can be some downfalls, too. While cubicles can create a sense of privacy, they can also cause a non collaborative work environment by not allowing employees to engage and discuss due to these barriers. Cubicles can keep a person isolated, which, depending on the employee’s position, can make or break a team. As mentioned, sales teams need a sense of privacy, as they are constantly focusing on phone calls with clients. However, marketing teams, for example, need to constantly collaborate and share ideas, and having less barriers in the way would be a better alternative. Benching As benching systems do not have an entire panel closing your employee in, they create a much more open concept, which can have great benefits. Having an open concept makes it easier for your employees to collaborate and discuss ideas, without having to step away from their work area. While this would not work for a sales team, as an example, marketing and design teams benefit greatly from being to openly discuss ideas without removing themselves from their productive work space.