How to Design a Workstation Area People Actually Like

Open-plan gets a bad name, but that's usually a design failure, not an inevitability. A workstation area people actually like balances three things: enough room to work, enough privacy to focus, and enough daylight to go around. Get those right and the same open floor that felt like a call centre feels like a place people want to be. Here's how to design it.

The mistake most workstation areas make is optimising for one thing, usually density, at the expense of the others. Pack the desks in and you save floor but lose focus and goodwill. The better approach treats the floor as a system: space, privacy, and light, tuned together.

Density: give people room to work

Density is the first lever, and it's the one most often pushed too far. People need enough surface for a monitor or two, a laptop, and the odd document, plus enough space between clusters to move without brushing a colleague's chair. Cram the floor and you don't just annoy people, you cut productivity, because nobody focuses well elbow-to-elbow. Our guide to how much space each workstation needs has the square-footage numbers; the principle is to leave a little more room than the floor plate strictly demands.

Privacy: screens at the right height

Privacy in open plan is mostly about screens and panels, and their height is the whole game. Lower dividers, around desk or shoulder height when seated, keep sightlines and daylight open and suit collaborative teams. Taller panels give more focus and visual privacy but wall people in and block light, so use them selectively, for heads-down roles or where a run of desks faces a walkway. A planter-topped screen is a favourite move: it adds height and greenery without the boxed-in feeling of a solid partition.

Daylight: share it around

Daylight is the amenity people notice most, and the one most often hoarded by private offices along the window wall. Where you can, keep the perimeter open and put the enclosed rooms inboard, so the workstation floor gets the light. Run desks so daylight arrives from the side rather than straight into screens, and keep panel heights down near windows so the light reaches deep into the floor. A bright, daylit workstation area reads as a good place to work before anyone sits down.

Balance focus and collaboration

No single setting suits every task, so give the floor a range. Pair the open desks with a few quiet spots for heads-down work and some casual breakout space for the conversations that shouldn't happen across a bank of desks. That mix is what lets an open plan support both concentration and collaboration instead of forcing a bad compromise between them. It doesn't take much space, a couple of small rooms and a soft-seating corner, and it changes how the whole floor feels.

Storage and a little ownership

Finally, give people somewhere to put things and a little space to call their own. A mobile pedestal or a shared storage wall keeps the desks clear, and a small allowance for personal items, a shelf, a pinboard, makes a workstation feel less like a hot desk and more like a place. Those small touches do a lot for how willingly people come in.

Build a workstation area that works

A good workstation floor is planned, not just filled. Arc Grove® builds workstations, screens, and storage to suit your floor plate, headcount, and the balance of focus and collaboration you're after, coordinated with the rest of the office. Browse workstations, or plan your floor.

Frequently asked questions

How do you design a good open-plan office?

Balance three things: enough space per desk to work comfortably, screens at a height that gives privacy without blocking light, and daylight shared across the floor rather than hoarded by perimeter offices. Add a few quiet rooms and a breakout space so the floor supports both focus and collaboration.

How high should office desk screens be?

Lower screens around seated desk or shoulder height keep sightlines and daylight open and suit collaborative teams; taller panels give more focus and privacy but block light, so use them selectively. Planter-topped screens add height and greenery without a boxed-in feel.

Why do people dislike open-plan offices?

Usually because they're designed for density alone: desks packed too tight, no privacy, no quiet space, and daylight blocked by perimeter offices. Fix those and open plan works well; the problem is the execution, not the concept.

How do you add privacy to an open-plan workstation?

Use screens and panels at a considered height, position taller ones where desks face walkways, add planter-topped dividers for greenery, and provide a few enclosed quiet rooms for heads-down work and calls.