Everyone who works in a modern office knows that the cubicle sucks. They really offer no privacy, yet they manage to successfully hamper effective communication between cow-workers. But is there a solution?
That's what Linda Tischler discusses in this piece for FastCompany, pointing out that some companies have switched to an alternative known as the "open office." This is, essentially, a series of desks and no walls.
According to the article, "Open offices do lead to more unstructured communication…those same offices can lead to problems of concentration. If you value reflection or deep thought, it gets tough." This is when the author of article introduces a man named Herman Miller.
Miller is rethinking offices entirely. For example, his office of the future has a signal in the form of a light that connects to your phone. If the light glows red then it lets your co-workers know that you want some privacy. He has also developed technology that will muffle sounds so that an employee can have a phone conversation.
Another person working to change the workspace is a man named Gervais Tompkin, He says that altering how a cubicle looks is like "putting lipstick on a pig."
His group is working on an office space that can be adapted depending on the work being done within it. Create spaces for those who need quiet time but also have plenty of spaces where those who like to collaborate can work as well.
Whatever the solution, most workers would agree that it probably can't come soon enough. Right now the cubicle is the most common method of cramming as many people into a space as possible, leaving to low morale, disgruntled workers and a loss of humanity among employees. The sooner an alternative can come into existence, the better.