Corner tables on straight tables

Question

The company I work for is currently undergoing a site update, and I'm participating in “consultations” on how the R & D workspaces will work.

There are no options for individual private offices - so do not start the topic.

One of the big requirements is that the layout of the office can be flexible (i.e., team areas can be created and changed as needed).

To this one of the most significant changes was that we lose our corner tables. The rationale is that since no one has large CRT monitors, we no longer need to waste space in the corner.

People are reluctant about this change, but I'm not sure that it is simply because people do not like the change or if there is a real reason. I moved my setting from a corner to a straight edge to see how it affects me.

We were also told that this is happening throughout the industry ... that people are transported from their corners to a more even location.

So my question is twofold:

• Is it important to have a corner?
• Is there really an industry move “from the corner”?

I know that there are already many questions about the conditions for developers, but I don’t think anything about this specific issue.

Answer 1

Direct tables for pair programming will cope with this type of chair:
http://www.cenqua.com/pairon/

Answer 2

If you intend to do pair programming, I would recommend that you avoid corner tables, since they prevent two people from working side by side.

How about curved tables? A team of four with curved tables (deviating from you rather than around you) would form the perfect round ideal for group discussions and pair programming.

Answer 3

My personal preferences are corner tables, they have the best support for your hands when typing or moving the mouse. You can achieve free space for notes taking in the table without moving the chair, and you can also talk to people at the table without getting up or leaning toward the monitor.

About pair programming, you can always move the monitor slightly to your side (as in a direct table) and have the same object as any other table.

You can also grow your belly, and it is ideal in the inner round part of the table, without delaying you far from the computer;)

Answer 4

I think the more important question is how this will be perceived by your colleagues. If they feel that they are losing their prestige or are seen as automatic machines because they are losing corner tables, this may be more important than any actual difference in performance. (What I feel would be tiny if it were even working for both.)

Answer 5

I have a corner desk, and my workspace is quite small, it is useful. I can imagine that a corner table with “wings” would be better, as this would give you a large working area.

Answer 6

I am currently working on an L-shaped table, with an angle as the main workspace for my computers. In short, where is my phone and notebooks. The longer part is for my books and things that I should read or browse. It’s very convenient for me to have an L-table, but we don’t use cubes (or even offices) for intensive meetings in a team - for them we go to conference rooms with our laptops (here we do not use desktop computers).

Answer 7

I like my corner. It gives me a familiar sense of security. Until now, I have stopped standing in a corner at school and sitting in a corner at work. I look forward to the next stage lying in the corner of the house :)

To be a little more serious: I like the L-shaped table in the corner or not, because both sides of the table are “closer” and I can easily change focus by turning the chair. A bee in the corner has an advantage in an open office with less distracting coders in sight ...

Answer 8

I may be a little weird, but I prefer to use a straight rectangular table. The simple reason for this is because I like to have as little space as possible between the edge of my keyboard (or laptop) and the edge of the table. From time to time, I change things a little, but for me it rarely happens at a distance of 5-10 cm from the edge of the table. Because of this, corner tables or tables without edge edges just annoy me.

My ideal desktop is a 160x80 cm wooden “sheet” with four simple, adjustable legs and no “fantasies”, because they just tend to get in the way (if you ever broke your legs into one of these metal bars intersecting under your table for "stabilization", you know what I'm talking about).

If you need more space, you can always combine two tables to make a good large surface, you can easily "slide" without fear of crashing into any corners or edges. In addition, as others have noted, direct desks are much better suited for pair programming or any other group activity involving more than one person sitting in front of a desk / monitor.

Answer 9

An island with four tables grouped together is my preference - perfect for four people. These are corner tables, but they are not used in the corner. They are also oblong, which allows for a pair program.

Answer 10

I see that many people have already mentioned this, but as Joel Spolsky says in his blog about the new Fog Creek offices , L-Shaped tables are not suitable for programming pairs :

Programming pairs. When you make typical L-shaped tables, many developers set up in the corner. When they need to temporarily collaborate or a pair program, or even just show something to someone on the screen, the second person must either lean across the table or look at the shoulder of the first person. To avoid this, we designed all the tables to be long and straight, so that wherever the software developer sits, there is always room for another person to raise a chair and sit next to them.

Answer 11

I have an L-shaped corner table. As mentioned by others, this makes things a little complicated if programming a couple, but even when I'm alone, I find it a bit subconscious taxation.

With screens oriented around one of the straight bits, sitting with one elbow in the "L" section and the other floating in free space, it feels "imbalance"; with screens in the corner, there is no hope of pairing at all, and I feel like I’ve wedged into my hole.

Considering everything, I would rather have a direct table.

Answer 12

I am currently working on the same table. However, I prefer corner tables. With a direct desk, it seems to me that I have much less office space to deliver documents that are easily accessible. With the L-table, I have a much more accessible area for storing things.

Answer 13

All our cubes / offices are lined with two adjacent walls, so there is always a corner that can be used if a person so desires. However, I cannot say that I have ever seen anyone here with their setting in the corner. I personally think it’s more convenient not in the corner.

Answer 14

I have a corner table, but the actual one in front of it is curved, so it looks like a hybrid of rectilinear and angular.

Answer 15

Our store does not use tables as such. We have these work desks with heavy racks overhead where the drawers can sit, providing a lot of work space - the only thing on my desk is four flat-screen monitors, a couple of keyboards and mice. I like the direct desk if I have my own office (which I do), but when I worked in a large room with several people, I prefer the style or cube to the corner, so there are a few less distractions.

Answer 16

Any day I would take a corner table. I do a lot of tangible things on my desk (folders, time log, calculator, coffee, etc.), and I don’t know where I could put all this, within reach, without a corner table.

Answer 17

The overall floor plan determines what is best for people.

My previous employer used cubes with dining tables, which can be used either from the corner or from the straight. Most often used as an angled side for extra legroom.

I agree with Sam Wessel, the concept of pair programming works best with direct desks to quickly exchange the workspace and view each other.

I also spent some time working in the German department of my previous employer, and their model is to divide the floor into rooms with high partitions and glue 4 tables in the middle so that everyone looks at each other and not at. The high partitions blocked idle talk, but you can still scream to your neighbors if necessary. This allows you to develop relationships with close working groups that you would not have otherwise. I liked this layout.

My current employer uses nothing but tables lined with walls or half partitions. They believe in clean desk policies and minimal storage. Forget your collection of coding books or office decorations, privacy, etc. I finally whisper to my wife on the phone, because everyone is listening to you. I am not a fan. They can squeeze us together like sardines to reduce office space. Due to growth, they are now pushing people's tables into conference rooms and storage rooms. Pretty soon, I expect to be moved to the basement without a stapler.

Answer 18

I had a corner table, but recently I switched to a direct table (this was my decision). Wrong decision. I have 2 24in. widescreen monitors connected to my desktop, plus my laptop, which is 19in widescreen. I use one mouse and keyboard through Synergy . There is no way to place monitors and a laptop so that you can look at all screens directly. Having plunged into the corner and the tray of the stand for traps , you can place yourself on your own so that you can look at each of the screens directly or with a minimum head turn.

I really consider swithching.

Answer 19

A corner table with its ability to support your hands while typing and using the mouse is incredibly good for your health (I think)