With two workplace advancements going viral this week, there's a chance you could take a nap at your desk in the near future or end up playing a childhood game to find office space.
According to Refinery 29, Greek design company NL Studio developed a nap desk. The desk, made of metal, wood and white leather, looks like a typical counter, but its top slides out to make it a desk uncovering a spot underneath for workers to take a break.
NL Studio designer Athanasia Leivaditou crafted the desk while working in "busy, cramped" New York, saying it helps professionals find balance in a work-dominated world, a CityLab report stated.
"The main concept was to comment on the fact that many times our lives are 'shrinking' in order to fit into the confined space of our office," Leivaditou said. "Eventually, I realized that each civilization may have a very different perception of things depending on its social context. For example, this desk could be used for a siesta or for a few hours of sleep at night on those days when someone struggles to meet deadlines."
According to CityLab, the desk is not yet available for retail. However, there's another workplace trend you could encounter quickly that deals with office space: hot desking.
Slate defines hot desking as distributing "too few desks among too many people, in a sort of never-ending office musical chairs" to use space efficiently and "encourage new relationships."
Slate's report detailed an Amsterdam company that deploys the practice: With 1,000 desks for 2,500 workers, employees of Deloitte a consulting firm don't have their own desks.
Does it work?
In regards to creativity, yes, Regina Pazvakavambwa wrote for ITWeb.
" ... It brings employees together particularly in creative environments which involve a lot of brainstorming, bouncing around of ideas, and creative communication," according to ITWeb.
Pazvakavambwa said today's workers only need a laptop and Wi-Fi to complete tasks, but Slate's piece indicated more elements prove important in the office, making a new trend like hot desking "rarely successfully implemented in its entirety, due mainly to the sheer number of variables in play."
According to Refinery 29, Greek design company NL Studio developed a nap desk. The desk, made of metal, wood and white leather, looks like a typical counter, but its top slides out to make it a desk uncovering a spot underneath for workers to take a break.
NL Studio designer Athanasia Leivaditou crafted the desk while working in "busy, cramped" New York, saying it helps professionals find balance in a work-dominated world, a CityLab report stated.
"The main concept was to comment on the fact that many times our lives are 'shrinking' in order to fit into the confined space of our office," Leivaditou said. "Eventually, I realized that each civilization may have a very different perception of things depending on its social context. For example, this desk could be used for a siesta or for a few hours of sleep at night on those days when someone struggles to meet deadlines."
According to CityLab, the desk is not yet available for retail. However, there's another workplace trend you could encounter quickly that deals with office space: hot desking.
Slate defines hot desking as distributing "too few desks among too many people, in a sort of never-ending office musical chairs" to use space efficiently and "encourage new relationships."
Slate's report detailed an Amsterdam company that deploys the practice: With 1,000 desks for 2,500 workers, employees of Deloitte a consulting firm don't have their own desks.
Does it work?
In regards to creativity, yes, Regina Pazvakavambwa wrote for ITWeb.
" ... It brings employees together particularly in creative environments which involve a lot of brainstorming, bouncing around of ideas, and creative communication," according to ITWeb.
Pazvakavambwa said today's workers only need a laptop and Wi-Fi to complete tasks, but Slate's piece indicated more elements prove important in the office, making a new trend like hot desking "rarely successfully implemented in its entirety, due mainly to the sheer number of variables in play."