There is a new book out by Nikil Saval, called "Cubed". I have not read
it yet, but have read the reviews of it and I will be picking it up
soon. What Saval does in his book is give us the history of our current
workplaces covering things like the drop ceiling, lighting, filing
spaces, open door policies and yes, the "Cubicle". My total time working
in corporations was 21 years. Of those 21 years, as best as I can add
up, I spent eight years in a Cube and two and a half years working in an
open floor space. So, almost half, not in an office.
The best of all of
those years (including a couple of years in offices that were well
beyond nice and totally not necessary), were the years in the open floor
plan where there were no walls and I was out in the open with everyone
else. I learned new forms of boundaries (headphones on meant I was
busy), shorter phone calls, discretion of conversation (loudness and
content) and time management (there wasn't any hanging around with the
feet on the desk shooting the breeze).
Where we sit can make a
difference in how we work. Where we assign others to work, can make a
difference in their productivity and motivation. Part of what we are to
do, if we want to be good leaders and managers, is to be cognizant and
sensitive to the environment that we ask people to work.
If you have
people begging to work at home, you might want to ask yourself if that
cubicle might be part of their motivation.
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