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A cubicle is a small area designated for work use, generally delimited by movable partitions. The quintessential work-place is configured with rows and rows of cubicles; grouped in a manner that makes the best use of the physical office space.

In addition to making the best use of available space, the fact that the partitions are movable means that personnel changes and office moves are much simpler; in business terms, simpler translates to cost-effective.

Not only are partitions easier and quicker to break down and set up compared to permanent walls, less skilled laborers can be used to perform the installation, as opposed to hiring more expensive licensed carpenters to perform as-needed construction and/or demolition of firm walls.

Lightweight, movable partitions can be strategically arranged to make use of the solid wall as part of the cubicle layout. This is particularly handy when office space is being rented or budgets are limited and office renovation is not an option.

Cubicle arrangement also lends itself well to contiguous wiring, since the modern office heavily depends upon each worker being equipped with the use of a telephone and a PC at a minimum; the more conducive the layout is to wiring, the better.

Certainly, it would seem the physicality of the cubicle satisfies the appetite of the employer; but once inhabited by the worker, the close-knit atmosphere leaves plenty to be desired.

The number one complaint about cubicles expressed on a daily basis, is the noise problem. I kid you not; I can hear the gentleman next to me whisper sweet nothings to his girlfriend on the phone. And I am sure he hears my stomach growling when I've skipped my morning Cheerios. Thankfully, in our situation, we happen to like and respect each other and the lack of privacy has not interfered with our ability to work together. However, there are plenty of coworkers that are quite tormented by sounds and smells that emanate from neighboring cubes.

In defense of cubicles, certainly removing the partitions is not the answer, because at least they do provide for some visual privacy. If the partitions were not there, every worker would be on display. At least frustrations can be released by making faces or rolling the eyes without being seen.

Truth be told, cubicles can be convenient for coworkers that are collaborating on a project because discussion can take place without having to totally stop work to physically get up and go to a common meeting place to hash out issues; especially when a quick answer will suffice.

Let's face it, with or without cubicles, as long as there are people, there are going to be personnel challenges. This is one aspect in which workers can agree, at least the organization is such that everyone has the same size cube (which they often adopt as home away from home) and because they are uniform in nature, cubicle-envy is not a problem. And, the modular design is both efficient and meets ergonomic needs.

Overall, by applying common courtesy and some patience, cubicles can work well for everyone involved. Besides, every now and then there will be days when you need to shoot a rubber band or two over the cubicle walls just to get a few laughs.

Learn more about this author, Gretchen Lorraine Hillcrest.
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