The workplace has well and truly changed. Companies are going beyond the customary fruit baskets and beanbags, encouraging people back into the office with zen gardens and themed meeting rooms. And the humble desk is having a renaissance of its own.
“Futurologists say the desk is a ‘dying species’ but we know that people will be working from desks many years from now,” says Christoph Messing, managing director of LINAK® GmbH. The Danish company is at the forefront of technological change, working with leading manufacturers to advance the workspace environment. “Technical innovations have changed office furniture design and this evolution is enabling the survival of the desk.”
LINAK changed the game in the late ’90s when it invented the first electronically height-adjustable system for desks and it’s been refining them ever since. In 2015, in response to the numerous negative health impacts of sedentary work, Denmark made it law that office workers have “sit-stand” desks. Now height-adjustable workstations are becoming the norm with the rest of the world catching on and realising its benefits, including the relief of back pain and an improvement in circulation.
However employees are no longer confined to the office. With hybrid working exploding in popularity, lines are blurring between the two spaces and it is forcing the desk to change. “We are seeing more people want desks made with new materials that are sustainably produced without harmful substances. The demand for smaller tabletops is also increasing due to limited space in the home office but also as a result of the changes in how we work.”
The workplace is about to get smarter, too, with intelligent desks geared to handle the ergonomics of hot-desking. New developments in artificial intelligence mean an incoming team-member’s physical profile will be matched to their booked desk. “The assigned desk automatically adjusts to their optimal sitting and standing height and regularly reminds them to stand. All of this requires intelligent technology in the desk controls.”
LINAK is ensuring that the humble desk lives on by continuing to refine its DESKLINE® flexible actuator systems, intelligent control boxes and Desk Control App, which helps workers build a healthy routine into their workday.
“The desk will have its place in offices in the future, it may just be that it looks different, transforms itself and integrates with other functionalities and services.”
‘Taking a stand’ is an abbreviated version of the ‘Offices are changing, but desks are here to stay’ story. This article appeared in the Travel Insider Qantas 2023 April issue, within the special report, ‘The new office.’ You can read the full article here.
