So in trying to find a new job that I like, has good benefits, and where I fit in, I keep seeing that so many of these work environments just look like crap for personal work habits. How hard is it to make a cubicle?
I’ve seen so many computers lined up like they were on sale. I’ve seen offices that have so little space, employees need to use a meeting room for lunch. So many places I’ve interviewed at are just tables or pods or some kind of communal space. Which I hate–they make everything look like a sweatshop. How special do you make your employees feel when you treat them little better than people at FoxConn?
And pods. So many pods. Yeah, I get it, you like people being co-located so they can work together. But could we just call a spade a spade here? You want to save money, so you squish everyone as close as you can before they complain. Oh, yeah, taking after Google’s open floor plan? What a revolution. If I don’t have personal space, where can I put my coffee mug? Or pictures my children make?
I love cubicles. They make me feel important, like a little office. When I was little I played “office” all the time. I had a walk-in closet and put up signs on the door like it was a business (the signs were like “Ghostbusters” and “Rescue Rangers”, but y’know…). I had a plastic Little Tykes table and put up a nameplate, a pencil cup, papers. You know, desk stuff.
So yeah, it sucks that the office is trending back to that 50s design for steno pool secretaries.
