Millennial here. I only briefly worked in a cubicle, when I was young, but I liked it as an environment. Not sure why the previous generation hated them so much.
A lot of corporate environments are forcing hoteling spaces on their staffs so now you don’t even get your cube you have to share it with other randos you work with, can’t decorate it, and have to share keyboards and mice!
They hated them because before that people had offices. Then someone decided why pay all this money for offices, when we can put up these shitty dividers and pack more people into this space. Then some other dickheads decided why bother paying for these dividers when we can pack even more people into this space, and sell the idea as “open” and “collaborative”. And if you don’t like it (because you can’t concentrate for shit in this loud ass hellscape) then you’re not a “team player”.
This is kind of a myth. It’s not feasible for everyone to have an office if you have a lot of people in once space. Open floor plans were what people did.
They probably felt like rats in a cage or something similar. Very limiting and stifling, claustrophobic little boxes. I have to say though, if this little box gives me even an extra inch of privacy or silence I’ll take it. Leave me alone while I’m working.
It’s because corporations being corporations and took the concept of workspace partitions to its limits for the sake of efficiency. Look at early concepts of workspace partitions and it doesn’t look like anything that’s the office hellscape we saw in the late 90’s and early 2000s. It went from good design with big partitioned off sections to crammed cubicles in a soulless environment.
Same thing happened with the modern open office plan where everyone got crammed into a flex desk bull pen instead of the proper open office design where everyone has a big private desk where you sit several feet away from each other.
Just look at this clip where Conan visits the Intel HQ in 2007, it’s a soulless maze of cubicles https://youtu.be/gXReifFHXbY
Sure you got privacy but it’s just depressing to spend so much time in an environment like that.
Also here is a video of how the partitioned workspace aka the action office turned into the cubicles we all hate https://youtu.be/7Tt4n8SaxEY
You’d think they’d love it if everyone worked from home, then. Don’t have to pay for office space at all if your employees are already paying for their offices.
A lot of offices didn’t, and some still don’t, consider the design of the floor plan. You’d end up with beige cubes filling most of the floor, with no little chill spots to break out and collaborate.
IMHO, a good floor plan has some areas for people to hide and focus, some comfortable areas to collaborate outside of a conference room, and some areas to recharge.
Yeah, seeing an entire room filled with cubes is very ugly and stifling, but as an introvert I’d want at least one place where I can just work out of sight as it reduces my stress levels significantly.
Gen X in their 20s: “Fuck these soulless cubicles.”
Gen X in their 40s: “We’re the boss now. Kill the cubicles. Open floor plan.”
Millennials in their 20s: “Fuck this distracting open floor plan.”
Millennials in their 40s: “I’m the boss now. Kill the open floor plan. Cubicles.
Millennial here. I only briefly worked in a cubicle, when I was young, but I liked it as an environment. Not sure why the previous generation hated them so much.
A lot of corporate environments are forcing hoteling spaces on their staffs so now you don’t even get your cube you have to share it with other randos you work with, can’t decorate it, and have to share keyboards and mice!
They hated them because before that people had offices. Then someone decided why pay all this money for offices, when we can put up these shitty dividers and pack more people into this space. Then some other dickheads decided why bother paying for these dividers when we can pack even more people into this space, and sell the idea as “open” and “collaborative”. And if you don’t like it (because you can’t concentrate for shit in this loud ass hellscape) then you’re not a “team player”.
Does that answer your question?
This is kind of a myth. It’s not feasible for everyone to have an office if you have a lot of people in once space. Open floor plans were what people did.
deleted by creator
They probably felt like rats in a cage or something similar. Very limiting and stifling, claustrophobic little boxes. I have to say though, if this little box gives me even an extra inch of privacy or silence I’ll take it. Leave me alone while I’m working.
@reseller_pledge609
That and you can decorate a cubicle. Individuality still exists in a cube farm. In an open floor, you may as well be a Borg.
It’s because corporations being corporations and took the concept of workspace partitions to its limits for the sake of efficiency. Look at early concepts of workspace partitions and it doesn’t look like anything that’s the office hellscape we saw in the late 90’s and early 2000s. It went from good design with big partitioned off sections to crammed cubicles in a soulless environment.
Same thing happened with the modern open office plan where everyone got crammed into a flex desk bull pen instead of the proper open office design where everyone has a big private desk where you sit several feet away from each other.
Just look at this clip where Conan visits the Intel HQ in 2007, it’s a soulless maze of cubicles https://youtu.be/gXReifFHXbY
Sure you got privacy but it’s just depressing to spend so much time in an environment like that.
Also here is a video of how the partitioned workspace aka the action office turned into the cubicles we all hate https://youtu.be/7Tt4n8SaxEY
You’d think they’d love it if everyone worked from home, then. Don’t have to pay for office space at all if your employees are already paying for their offices.
A lot of offices didn’t, and some still don’t, consider the design of the floor plan. You’d end up with beige cubes filling most of the floor, with no little chill spots to break out and collaborate.
IMHO, a good floor plan has some areas for people to hide and focus, some comfortable areas to collaborate outside of a conference room, and some areas to recharge.
Yeah, seeing an entire room filled with cubes is very ugly and stifling, but as an introvert I’d want at least one place where I can just work out of sight as it reduces my stress levels significantly.