Panel creep may sound like an offensive term used to describe an annoying coworker, but you may be surprised to learn that knowing the appropriate definition and learning how to avoid it in your call center furniture purchase, could save you thousands of dollars in real estate costs a month.

Panel creep may sound like an offensive term used to describe an annoying coworker, but the appropriate definition begins with unused space caused by workstation panels. The unused space that accrues along a run of workstations, then multiplied by the total effect on the call center floor, is the amount of panel creep in an area. As shown below, a run of eight workstations that are 3’x5’ in dimension, constructed with two-inch thick panels separating the workstations, adds five inches of unused space that is being consumed by the panels for each run of workstations.

Although five inches of unused space per run of stations doesn’t sound like a lot, the unused space caused by panel creep can add up to hundreds of square feet of unusable space depending on the size of the floor plan. The best solution to maximize available space is to use a thin-line panel system. A thin-line system is a furniture system with a one-inch wide panel instead the typical 2” or 3” panel.

With a one-inch panel system, you may be able to expect additional stations within the floor plan, increased workspace or aisle space per employee, and/or the ability to build/lease less square footage; in any event, this positively impacts the bottom line.

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