Tag : cubicle

No matter what people say about cubicles, one thing is true: They are comedy gold. Like all really funny stuff, cube humor works because it makes you feel like you are in on a joke with a bunch of other folks who really “get it”. Far from creating barriers, cubicle and their ubiquitous grey fabric partitions have actually brought white collar employees closer together. Office workers everywhere immediately identify with Dilbert – even if they don’t work in IT. That’s because the cubicle and the office culture it inspires have commonalities in every company. We recognize the bizarre and ironic realities of cube life because we’ve all got similar stories. Those who have never had the privilege of working in a cube simply don’t get it. They aren’t part of our little insular world.

Blogger Tells All

The Serene Scribe offered a hilarious peek inside the box at her blog. Her take down of fellow travelers in the cubicle maze is priceless. You’ll certainly recognize some of these characters (albeit under different names) from your own workplace.

• There’s the woman who thinks the phone only works long distance if she shouts into it
• There’s the guy who stinks up the microwave and the whole office with his fish and popcorn lunch
• There’s the coworker who blasts music (or sings, which is worse) with no regard for the tastes or tender ears of others

Rumor mongers, pot smokers, desk hogs, tacky decorators, and creepy stalkers all make an appearance. Keep in mind that the blogger only worked in a cube for a year. It just goes to show that it doesn’t take long to rack up some wacky stories when you work in such close proximity to your fellow humans. No wonder employees prefer higher cubicle walls. Some days, the weirdness is just too much to handle!

There’s a conversation over at The Globe and Mail about whether moving to a more remote desk is a good idea or not. The question was posed by a white collar employee who really wants to claim a larger workstation that’s opened up a little further away from the “hub” of the office activity. The employee has this to say about the pros of moving:

“My current desk is more in the hub but the new desk will give me piece of mind, more space, more privacy to think, and make me happier, but now I’m concerned about the message I may be sending.”

The employee’s manager and a coworker have both subtly hinted that moving over one desk might give the impression of “choosing isolation”. The manager outright stated that the employee being able to overhear what goes on at neighboring desks helps the employee do their job. That really only makes sense is the company has no other means of communication or if the employee’s primary responsibility is to eavesdrop on coworkers. It’s obvious that the employee would prefer to have more privacy and NOT be forced to listen in on every passing conversation between others.

One response to the question highlights the logical disconnect created by today’s emphasis on open office environments. The advice giver discusses how “cubicle walls seem to be getting lower and lower to encourage communication and information sharing. This is all in line with flatter organizations and a focus on openness and collaboration…The idea is that collaboration leads to innovation and better ideas.”

The problem is that this idea isn’t necessarily based in reality. If an employee is saying, “I need more privacy and less distraction so I can do my job better”, that’s probably what they really do need (and they might appreciate some panel extenders). You can’t force innovation or collaboration. Unless the workers in question are actually tasked with innovating as part of their job duties, there’s no reason to design an entire work environment around this mythical goal. Have we really reached the point where employees are warned against seeking out the kind of environment where they can actually focus on getting work done because they fear being labeled as aloof?

…Nor iron bars a cage. Richard Lovelace won’t mind us coining his most famous lines, will he? This recent news story about employers who go too far by turning their cubicles into cells has a poetic feel to it. Employees at a Florida law firm responded to their employer’s heavy handed anti-socialization policy by wearing orange shirts to work (to mimic prison inmates). Six were fired for this “offense”. One of the policies the workers were allegedly protesting was the prohibition on speaking to one another over their cubicle walls – even when the conversations were work related.

Naturally, the terminated workers are suing their employer. It seems like a law firm would know that firing employees for protesting working conditions is illegal according to the National Labor Relations Act. It’s considered ‘union-busting’ whether there’s a union in place or not. It does make you wonder what was actually going on that would prompt the employer to attempt to institute such restrictive policies in the first place. If productivity is low, it’s a sign that engagement is suffering. Dealing a death blow to morale isn’t exactly the smartest move in that situation. It makes a lot more sense to find out what workers need (physically and emotionally) to do their jobs more effectively and then find creative ways to meet those needs.

Takeaway Points

We’re in favor of increasing cubicle wall heights to cut down on unwanted distractions. But forbidding cross-cubicle communication is obviously counterproductive – it’s enforcing isolation rather than providing privacy. Employees should always feel that they can turn to a coworker for collaboration on a work project to increase productivity and effectiveness. That’s one good reason to talk to your employees about the best placement for cubicle panel extenders. They can tell you which walls need to be higher to block out unnecessary sights and sounds and which ones (if any) they like lower to allow easy communication with helpful neighbors.

At OBEX, we’re always in favor of technology that cuts down on interruptions for employees. So, we were intrigued by this little gadget created by a self-professed amateur tech wizard. Check out this wiki on how to make a Lync cubicle presence indicator. It takes cubicle etiquette to a whole new level. Instead of walking into someone else’s cube, knocking on a cube wall, peeking over the top of a panel, or hollering back and forth, visitors can announce their presence with the push of a button.

The display on the indicator has three modes: green, yellow and red. Green means you’re in the cube and available for a quick question, collaborative discussion, or in-person work conversation. Yellow means you’re off work or away from your cube. Red means you’re currently occupied (such as on the phone or in a meeting). Coworkers don’t have to guess what each light means because you can also program the small LCD text screen to display a message such as:

• Away from my desk
• On the phone
• In a meeting

The indicator also features a button that can be pressed to send you a popup message on your computer screen. This alerts you to the fact that someone “out there” wants to speak with you. If you’re not at your desk, you can set up the button so it rings your cell phone. Then, you and your visitor can talk through your computer’s mic and speakers.

The whole project is fascinating (and the instructions and code are all free/open source so you can make your own).

• Is this a tool you would use?
• Would it make the workplace more polite?
• Can you see how installing these on your cubicles might increase privacy and productivity even more?
• Have you seen any other gadgets that would make a good match with our panel extenders?

Let us know in the comments.