Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
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Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
1–10 of 77 posts
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#2I like cubicles and would prefer to be in my own box than in an open space concept room. Cubicles reduce noise. Respects my privacy, and puts up barrier against people distracting me.
I wish more startups had cubicles.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#3What's worse is open space workbenches. They make cubicles seem like a luxury. Grrr...
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#4Methinks "open offices" score better than cubicles on many points precisely because there is no expectation of privacy/quiet/etc. Lacking the expectation of better, there is less dissatisfaction with reality being worse. Cubicles at least give the occupant a semblance, and thus hope for, privacy/quiet/etc. so one is more keenly annoyed that it's not up to par.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#5In the past 6 months I've worked in a cubicle, open office space, and in an office of my own, with a proper door. I would say that productivity was lowest in the cubicle, and is highest in the office. Open office space was the most unenjoyable however.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#6I don't think you can meaningfully compare open workspaces to cubicles without talking about how densely people are packed. I really like the open plan office at my last job, but that was because people were spread far enough apart. And we had side rooms for taking phone calls, having discussions, etc.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#7The best combination I have seen is a two-floor suite connected by stairs. One floor has project rooms, which are small-ish open plan rooms, holding up to about 10 people, with reconfigurable walls tables and seating. The upstairs has some traditional offices (seemed like for business development and other phone-bound users), conference rooms, and a very quiet, library-like open plan area for individual on-site work.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#8I keep wondering if there's a market for "co-working" spaces that don't follow the open-plan style. What would it look like? I know Joel tried to floor-plan the ultimate developer office, has anyone followed up or built on that since?
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#9Methinks "open offices" score better than cubicles on many points precisely because there is no expectation of privacy/quiet/etc. Lacking the expectation of better, there is less dissatisfaction with reality being worse. Cubicles at least give the occupant a semblance, and thus hope for, privacy/quiet/etc. so one is more keenly annoyed that it's not up to par.
Agreed. Many people in cubicle farms won't think twice about taking a phone call at their desk. But this is frowned upon in an open office plan, where it is usually expected that you step into the hallway or a phone room.
Re: Research: Cubicles Are the Absolute Worst
#10I like cubicles and would prefer to be in my own box than in an open space concept room. Cubicles reduce noise. Respects my privacy, and puts up barrier against people distracting me. I wish more startups had cubicles.
Same here. Cubicles with walls high enough that I don't constantly see everyone and vice-versa work pretty well for me.