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Global Planning Needed

The office cubicle is much criticized in some sectors, not only because it can be compared to a pen or cell, but also because of the unrealistic expectations generated by promoters. It is true that the cubicle provides more privacy and quiet to users than they would have if they were working side by side with no partitions. However, unlike promoters would have you believe, the installation of cubicles does not magically reduce the noise level to zero or eliminate all distractions.

The cubicle alone cannot be expected to solve all problems. Too frequently, insufficient attention is paid to the proper design and installation of baffled ceilings, acoustic flooring, staggered corridors, and tactically placed meeting rooms. Without a global approach to all design elements, the cubicle only offers visual privacy and little acoustic protection. Traditional suspended ceilings cannot prevent noise conduction in large spaces despite their being constructed with "acoustic" tiles.

In addition, recent academic studies highlight a major disadvantage of the cubicle office, especially in conjunction with interoffice e-mailing capabilities: a reduction in person-to-person communication. Users tend to become very attached to their cubicles as their personal territory over which they have nearly complete control. They become very comfortable and possessive of their private space, and some users may become anxious if they have to change cubicles, even if it’s due to a promotion. At the extreme are those users who stay in their cubicles almost all the time, sending e-mails to the coworker on the other side of the partition but rarely speaking in person, eating lunch while continuing to tap away on the keyboard or read reports, and venturing out of the cubicle only when absolutely necessary for a quick bathroom break.

The cubicle may effectively reduce noise and distractions in the workplace, but decreased interaction among employees has resulted in decreased teamwork, lowered productivity, and a decline in morale. The negative effects of working in cubicles, especially lowered productivity, have become a factor in new office design.