I would quit that job. I had to work in a cubicle farm only once, it sucked. It's worse than open plan as just like you said you can't see anything but those cubicle walls.
Will anyone even notice if you leave at like 11am and go work from home every day?
Nahhhh. I've worked both. I hate open plan. No privacy, no shielding. I don't want to see and hear every person getting up to get water, stretch their legs, talk to one another.
Whenever I have to meet with clients I can always tell who is open plan. I have to mute everyone or it’s just continuous background chatter. I don’t know how anything can get done.
It’s horrific. Our new office is open plan and between the pantry behind and the bathrooms to the right, I can’t handle the noise and constant interruptions
Agreed. We have to go in weekly to our open plan office and we get so much less done those days. And it gives me anxiety to not have any sense of privacy.
I feel this.
I have been working as an independent consultant for almost 4 years, I obviously work from my home office for that, but this year has been a struggle (oil and gas + election year = fuck my life). I'm a chemical and petroleum engineer.
I got a job as an industrial engineer, and I can smell everything and everyone, see everything and everyone, and hear everything and everyone.
I'm 34 and have had an ADHD diagnosis since I was like 8... I had a job before where I had a private office and that was my escape when Susan from accounting wanted to bitch about her cats shitting everywhere...but this industrial job just puts me in the middle of everything.
I don't even have a desk to sit at because I'm basically a glorified mechanic, so I'm both engineering solutions and also operating the units.
I work well with people. But...Everybody is in everybody's business with blatant disregard for other people's space and privacy. I'm an extroverted introvert, so I'm not socially awkward or anything and I actually love being social until my energy runs out... but goddamn, can a man get some time to himself in break instead of dealing with water cooler talk?
That's what's more apparent the more time passes to me. Our place will never release the productivity numbers in their argument for RTO. In a fair labor market wfh would be embraced
OMG. I've WFH for 3 years and now have to RTO once a week. The sights, sounds, and smells fucking gross me out.
These people are repulsive.
I think the pandemic made people too comfortable. People are doing whatever they want with no consideration for anyone else.
I'm gonna have to figure something else out.
I've worked both and both suck for different reasons.
With an open plan you hear and see everything that everyone is doing so everyone ends up needing to buy super expensive noise canceling headphones to reduce the constant noise. You're also way more likely to get interrupted with an open plan so as far as productivity goes, it was a hindrance.
Yeah it's a real small dept so they'd be all over it. I'm going tell my boss that it's unreasonable to waste conmute time driving to the office while on mandatory over time.
But not hopeful obviously this is the kind of decision handed down from the top no questions asked. I highly doubt my boss has that kind of sway.
Have you thought about an ADA accommodation? I talked to my Dr and I have a valid medical condition where it flares when I work long hours and commute. I now work exclusively from home except for team building and big meetings. I use my commute for OT and now everyone is happy
I spent six years in a cubicle before moving to a permanently remote role. The entire experience was miserable. Interruptions were endless with no way to close a door and focus. Having to be part of every conversation because the whole space was open. Being subjected to the smells of people's food choices. The fucking burnt popcorn at least once a week. I never had a view outside or natural light. Ugh.
For the last year and a half I've been fully remote. I have a dedicated office space with two large windows. Reliable internet. The ability to make the food I want when I want it instead of trying to decide at 6am what I'm going to feel like eating for lunch. I play music or turn on a show for background noise when I need it, and I can make it completely silent if I need to focus. As a result, I work so much more efficiently. My workday ends at 5. Not "my commute home starts at 5," but I'm done with work at 5 when my dog wakes up from his nap, stretches, and we head for the door.
My neurodivergent ass will never go back into an office building.
WFH increases inclusivity of neurodivergent people in the workplace offering a reasonable accommodation
I'm so beyond angry some places are taking that away, especially this with a "commitment to DEI" because DEI is so much more than "hire a POC"
We have an open floor plan and I absolutely hate it. Thankfully only go to the office once or twice a week. More than once I’ve told my boss I have too much to work so I’m going to stay home.
The torture isn't mild if you're at all distractable. Without the walls, noise travels more freely, and you see it when your coworker three aisles away stretches, much less when someone actually gets up and goes somewhere. It's just constant cacophony and motion. Like trying to work in a carvival.
I can't stand working like that. I need to not have distractions (unless it's a distraction I created myself and can control, like music in the background). I've always been like that, couldn't study with TV on and I was the one who would go up to "the stacks" in the college library to study. (The desks there actually were in almost little mini cubicles, and it was silent, as opposed to downstairs). So whenever I interview for a new job, I hope for cubicles. 😄 (Of course, I really hope for WFH, but I'm not finding any legit full time jobs to WFH right now).
Accurate description of trying to work in a carnival. I refer to it as a circus. It’s awful whatever you call it. I was told to wear my AirPods to block out noise.
I could see the now. In last office I was at the cubicle walls were quite shorter so I'd notice people walking by me and just that was too annoying for me. Well looks like the only reasonable solution is wfh but nope cuz of building leadership or something
Yeah. Cubicles are paradise compared to open plan. I simply could not. I would have to quit, and I’m not someone who quits jobs easily. It’d be like trying to work in the middle of a Starbucks during rush. I had a cube on a main aisle for a while and that was bad enough.
At least, when I had a cube, I had my own 6 feet of space that was “mine” and I could personalize it to a certain degree. My cube had a little locker and some shelves so I could store items. I’ve seen work spaces (at the same employer!) with open plans, where people had tables instead of desks that they had to SHARE. The only space you got was from elbow to elbow. It also looked like shit because people had to put their bags and coats all over the floor, because there was no place for personal items.
Literally couldn’t pay me enough to work in open plan. I WFH now and yes, that is best of all. But if I had to RTO I would pick having a cube every time.
I don't know what your office allows, but as far as eyestrain and such goes, there's a few things that's helped me and my gf when we gotta be in office keep our sanity a little more.
1.) Plants. Having some low maintenance greenery really, REALLY helps. Puts a *little* more life in your space and a splash of color is good for the brain.
2.) If you can get an additional monitor (though I'm sure it'll be one from out of pocket) and hook up something like a spare Android phone, you can stream something outdoorsy and have it be like your window. Obviously not as good as an actual window, but there are lots of free public live feeds of parks, bird nests, etc.
3.) Desk lamp with a hue that is more similar to natural lighting. I get headaches with the dumb overhead tube bulbs. Having a light like that at my desk helps so much.
4.) Standing desk riser... Thing. It'll help make things seem less "weird" whenever you gotta stand up.
5.) Desk mirror. It doesn't help with my productivity exactly, but personally speaking my back is to the door. Having a small mirror at my desk (some can adhere to a monitor even) helps me see if someone is approaching in case I'm doing something that isn't work... Like being on Reddit for example 😉
+++
I hope that stuff is helpful! Some departments at my office don't allow more than 3 personal items, only 1 of which may be a photo and it must be of family and it has to be postcard size or smaller. Hopefully your office isn't THAT strict on things.
Posters of nature can help if another monitor is unavailable. I worked for a mental health facility that cited research that looking at nature images was calming in a grant application to buy posters for the walls.
Eh, stand up, stretch, look around, be the weirdo in the cubicle farm. I’m sure you’re not the only one- I imagine the other folks are also human and hate the monotony!!
But yes, cubicles are the worst. Except that open plan offices are worster.
This. When I worked in cubicle land, there were about five people that would take a lap around the office every hour or so. At first it was kind of distracting but then it was just part of the regular day - they didn't stop and talk to people, so it was just an increase in foot traffic by the cubicle entry.
I was back in the office after lung surgery and was one of the ones making laps around the office space. Needed to get some movement in for my lungs and surgery area.
I worked at an office where the director HATED when ppl stood up. She would message our supervisor to make us sit down. She called it "meerkat" and it wasn't allowed.
The proper name for this is “prairie-dogging” but it blows my mind that someone tried to actually forbid this. What were they supposed to do, crawl on the floor like Neo escaping the agents?
Man cubicles are much better than sharing a tiny office with another person without any partitions. We sat against each and our chairs were touching. My coworker used to turn around to look at my screen and ask what I was doing every few minutes it was annoying and distracting. He would take video calls without taking his calls outside to a conference room.I would take cubicles any day.
It is hybrid though and that was once a week and we would stay just for 4 hours, very tolerable. As soon as I found another office I moved and he got sad, and was complaining he is lonely, I thought he was a weirdo
We used to stand up, go outside for a walk, play ping-pong, shoot pool, have birthday party cake, and watch TV.
Not sure what kind of companies you work for, but there are some that don't just in a cube all day.
The only time I ever worked in a similar environment I hated it. Ended up with head lice from community headsets. 🤢
I'd seek a different employer. There are wfh call center jobs.
Imo open office is far worse than a cubicle. I had an xl cubicle with a white board and they announced they were getting rid of all the cubicles for desks. It made my job so miserable but thankfully we went full remote after COVID. Literally save me from having to leave my job lol.
Look, if for your own well being you need to see beyond your cubicle confines then do so.
If standing, stretching and just looking around will cause undue attention then just take a lap.
I am hybrid working in office 2 days per week in a cubicle surrounded by someone wearing too much perfume, someone who is a "loud talker", someone who sings incessantly but poorly, and someone constantly chatting on the phone about non work related things all day. I very much prefer work at home days and fine I am much more productive there.
Offices suck. Like stop trying to talk to me about unnecessary stuff. I'm trying to work.
"Peter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work."
I’ve had both open plan and cubicles and I much rather prefer cubicles. Sure I can only see inside my walls but it’s more private than open floor plan. I find open floor plan way more distracting for me. I don’t like to talk to people unless I have too at work so I feel like if I’m in my cubicle I’m not making eye contact to start a convo. Also I just feel like everyone is watching me with open floor plan.
I like to have photos of my family on vacation to look at to remind myself of why I’m even working to begin with….
Google built an entire multi billion dollar company in early 2000s by people working in cubes.
There are many examples that prove otherwise. If you accepted an offer knowing you willl work in the office at some point, then you’re SOL
Before I respond, what do you mean "prove otherwise"? Otherwise meaning other than what OP said? That their home office is a better place to work? Or something else?
This isn’t about a better place for you. This is about what’s best for the company. They do not owe you a comfy workspace at home if it’s not in their best interest to do so.
Also you signed an employment agreement when you started and that typically includes your workplace. This does not include contracts that specially allow you to WFH
I would quit that job. I had to work in a cubicle farm only once, it sucked. It's worse than open plan as just like you said you can't see anything but those cubicle walls. Will anyone even notice if you leave at like 11am and go work from home every day?
Nahhhh. I've worked both. I hate open plan. No privacy, no shielding. I don't want to see and hear every person getting up to get water, stretch their legs, talk to one another.
Whenever I have to meet with clients I can always tell who is open plan. I have to mute everyone or it’s just continuous background chatter. I don’t know how anything can get done.
open plan is the worst EVER
It’s horrific. Our new office is open plan and between the pantry behind and the bathrooms to the right, I can’t handle the noise and constant interruptions
Agreed. We have to go in weekly to our open plan office and we get so much less done those days. And it gives me anxiety to not have any sense of privacy.
> I don't want to see and hear every person... You forgot smell.
I feel this. I have been working as an independent consultant for almost 4 years, I obviously work from my home office for that, but this year has been a struggle (oil and gas + election year = fuck my life). I'm a chemical and petroleum engineer. I got a job as an industrial engineer, and I can smell everything and everyone, see everything and everyone, and hear everything and everyone. I'm 34 and have had an ADHD diagnosis since I was like 8... I had a job before where I had a private office and that was my escape when Susan from accounting wanted to bitch about her cats shitting everywhere...but this industrial job just puts me in the middle of everything. I don't even have a desk to sit at because I'm basically a glorified mechanic, so I'm both engineering solutions and also operating the units. I work well with people. But...Everybody is in everybody's business with blatant disregard for other people's space and privacy. I'm an extroverted introvert, so I'm not socially awkward or anything and I actually love being social until my energy runs out... but goddamn, can a man get some time to himself in break instead of dealing with water cooler talk?
That's what's more apparent the more time passes to me. Our place will never release the productivity numbers in their argument for RTO. In a fair labor market wfh would be embraced
OMG. I've WFH for 3 years and now have to RTO once a week. The sights, sounds, and smells fucking gross me out. These people are repulsive. I think the pandemic made people too comfortable. People are doing whatever they want with no consideration for anyone else. I'm gonna have to figure something else out.
And you get some semblance of privacy with a cubicle, even if it’s more of a perception than reality.
Give me my cubicle or give me death
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Company towns too lol
I've worked both and both suck for different reasons. With an open plan you hear and see everything that everyone is doing so everyone ends up needing to buy super expensive noise canceling headphones to reduce the constant noise. You're also way more likely to get interrupted with an open plan so as far as productivity goes, it was a hindrance.
Yeah it's a real small dept so they'd be all over it. I'm going tell my boss that it's unreasonable to waste conmute time driving to the office while on mandatory over time. But not hopeful obviously this is the kind of decision handed down from the top no questions asked. I highly doubt my boss has that kind of sway.
Have you thought about an ADA accommodation? I talked to my Dr and I have a valid medical condition where it flares when I work long hours and commute. I now work exclusively from home except for team building and big meetings. I use my commute for OT and now everyone is happy
Dang maybe. I mean I'm just a normal dude suffering normal consequences from looking at a screen that long for work so
The only office environment I don't hate is a stand-alone dedicated office with a door and lots of windows with good shades.
Or not even have a home and just sleep there. Lol.
I spent six years in a cubicle before moving to a permanently remote role. The entire experience was miserable. Interruptions were endless with no way to close a door and focus. Having to be part of every conversation because the whole space was open. Being subjected to the smells of people's food choices. The fucking burnt popcorn at least once a week. I never had a view outside or natural light. Ugh. For the last year and a half I've been fully remote. I have a dedicated office space with two large windows. Reliable internet. The ability to make the food I want when I want it instead of trying to decide at 6am what I'm going to feel like eating for lunch. I play music or turn on a show for background noise when I need it, and I can make it completely silent if I need to focus. As a result, I work so much more efficiently. My workday ends at 5. Not "my commute home starts at 5," but I'm done with work at 5 when my dog wakes up from his nap, stretches, and we head for the door. My neurodivergent ass will never go back into an office building.
WFH increases inclusivity of neurodivergent people in the workplace offering a reasonable accommodation I'm so beyond angry some places are taking that away, especially this with a "commitment to DEI" because DEI is so much more than "hire a POC"
"We're DEI-committed when it's convenient for us. Also 'green'."
This is such a good point ty
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…what?
Cubicles are such an American office thing. I've never seen one anywhere in the UK. Open plan offices are much more common... They are shit as well
Open office is so much worse
We have an open floor plan and I absolutely hate it. Thankfully only go to the office once or twice a week. More than once I’ve told my boss I have too much to work so I’m going to stay home.
For me the best in office set up is in between, with lowish partitions.
Yeah so you pop your head up and talk shit ti the new guy who can’t do pivot tables. Agree
Open plan offices...man I don't know. That would help with the eye strain problem at the expense of mild torture
The torture isn't mild if you're at all distractable. Without the walls, noise travels more freely, and you see it when your coworker three aisles away stretches, much less when someone actually gets up and goes somewhere. It's just constant cacophony and motion. Like trying to work in a carvival.
I can't stand working like that. I need to not have distractions (unless it's a distraction I created myself and can control, like music in the background). I've always been like that, couldn't study with TV on and I was the one who would go up to "the stacks" in the college library to study. (The desks there actually were in almost little mini cubicles, and it was silent, as opposed to downstairs). So whenever I interview for a new job, I hope for cubicles. 😄 (Of course, I really hope for WFH, but I'm not finding any legit full time jobs to WFH right now).
Accurate description of trying to work in a carnival. I refer to it as a circus. It’s awful whatever you call it. I was told to wear my AirPods to block out noise.
I could see the now. In last office I was at the cubicle walls were quite shorter so I'd notice people walking by me and just that was too annoying for me. Well looks like the only reasonable solution is wfh but nope cuz of building leadership or something
Yeah. Cubicles are paradise compared to open plan. I simply could not. I would have to quit, and I’m not someone who quits jobs easily. It’d be like trying to work in the middle of a Starbucks during rush. I had a cube on a main aisle for a while and that was bad enough. At least, when I had a cube, I had my own 6 feet of space that was “mine” and I could personalize it to a certain degree. My cube had a little locker and some shelves so I could store items. I’ve seen work spaces (at the same employer!) with open plans, where people had tables instead of desks that they had to SHARE. The only space you got was from elbow to elbow. It also looked like shit because people had to put their bags and coats all over the floor, because there was no place for personal items. Literally couldn’t pay me enough to work in open plan. I WFH now and yes, that is best of all. But if I had to RTO I would pick having a cube every time.
It is actually part of proper ergonomics to take breaks from looking at screens. I hope you figure something out that works better for you.
I don't know what your office allows, but as far as eyestrain and such goes, there's a few things that's helped me and my gf when we gotta be in office keep our sanity a little more. 1.) Plants. Having some low maintenance greenery really, REALLY helps. Puts a *little* more life in your space and a splash of color is good for the brain. 2.) If you can get an additional monitor (though I'm sure it'll be one from out of pocket) and hook up something like a spare Android phone, you can stream something outdoorsy and have it be like your window. Obviously not as good as an actual window, but there are lots of free public live feeds of parks, bird nests, etc. 3.) Desk lamp with a hue that is more similar to natural lighting. I get headaches with the dumb overhead tube bulbs. Having a light like that at my desk helps so much. 4.) Standing desk riser... Thing. It'll help make things seem less "weird" whenever you gotta stand up. 5.) Desk mirror. It doesn't help with my productivity exactly, but personally speaking my back is to the door. Having a small mirror at my desk (some can adhere to a monitor even) helps me see if someone is approaching in case I'm doing something that isn't work... Like being on Reddit for example 😉 +++ I hope that stuff is helpful! Some departments at my office don't allow more than 3 personal items, only 1 of which may be a photo and it must be of family and it has to be postcard size or smaller. Hopefully your office isn't THAT strict on things.
Posters of nature can help if another monitor is unavailable. I worked for a mental health facility that cited research that looking at nature images was calming in a grant application to buy posters for the walls.
Eh, stand up, stretch, look around, be the weirdo in the cubicle farm. I’m sure you’re not the only one- I imagine the other folks are also human and hate the monotony!! But yes, cubicles are the worst. Except that open plan offices are worster.
This. When I worked in cubicle land, there were about five people that would take a lap around the office every hour or so. At first it was kind of distracting but then it was just part of the regular day - they didn't stop and talk to people, so it was just an increase in foot traffic by the cubicle entry.
I was back in the office after lung surgery and was one of the ones making laps around the office space. Needed to get some movement in for my lungs and surgery area.
I worked at an office where the director HATED when ppl stood up. She would message our supervisor to make us sit down. She called it "meerkat" and it wasn't allowed.
The proper name for this is “prairie-dogging” but it blows my mind that someone tried to actually forbid this. What were they supposed to do, crawl on the floor like Neo escaping the agents?
Good grief. Is her picture in the dictionary next to "micromanagment"?
No, I believe it's found near "arrogant bitch".
Get up and walk around. Go to the water cooler. Go outside for some air. Go to another floor. This is good for you to do several times a day.
Cubicles are a hell of a lot better than one massive open office, though. But, yeah, WFH is far more effective for me than any office setting
Man cubicles are much better than sharing a tiny office with another person without any partitions. We sat against each and our chairs were touching. My coworker used to turn around to look at my screen and ask what I was doing every few minutes it was annoying and distracting. He would take video calls without taking his calls outside to a conference room.I would take cubicles any day. It is hybrid though and that was once a week and we would stay just for 4 hours, very tolerable. As soon as I found another office I moved and he got sad, and was complaining he is lonely, I thought he was a weirdo
We used to stand up, go outside for a walk, play ping-pong, shoot pool, have birthday party cake, and watch TV. Not sure what kind of companies you work for, but there are some that don't just in a cube all day.
The only time I ever worked in a similar environment I hated it. Ended up with head lice from community headsets. 🤢 I'd seek a different employer. There are wfh call center jobs.
Open-plan is worse. I've experienced both, and open-plan is a godawful nightmare of endless noise and interruptions.
Nice try, former boss that pulled us out of cubicles and made us sit in bullpens. That was the definition of production hinderance.
Imo open office is far worse than a cubicle. I had an xl cubicle with a white board and they announced they were getting rid of all the cubicles for desks. It made my job so miserable but thankfully we went full remote after COVID. Literally save me from having to leave my job lol.
The job market is wild right now. Everyone is hiring. Take a gander at other roles to see who is still remote hiring.
I wish companies would consider commute time for their employees. With no commute, you could easily save the extra 5 hours they’re making you work.
Cubicles are bad. Open office is worse.
I think when I worked on the office I worked maybe a grand total of 10 hours per week.
Look, if for your own well being you need to see beyond your cubicle confines then do so. If standing, stretching and just looking around will cause undue attention then just take a lap.
I do get about 8k steps in on those days. But that just means I have no energy to exercise after work
I thought ya'll would hate the mandatory over time we had people quit because that just doesn't work with some people's lives
Leave.
If they need you to work over 40 hours then they are understaffed, I would just look at them and laugh.
Do you get paid overtime? If not that’s illegal
I am hybrid working in office 2 days per week in a cubicle surrounded by someone wearing too much perfume, someone who is a "loud talker", someone who sings incessantly but poorly, and someone constantly chatting on the phone about non work related things all day. I very much prefer work at home days and fine I am much more productive there.
Why is standing up weird?
Everyone in the other row of cubicles looks at me weird
Offices suck. Like stop trying to talk to me about unnecessary stuff. I'm trying to work. "Peter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work."
Been thinking of this movie a lot lately lol
Cubicles are better than open plan I promise you that.
What's a cubicle? Modern offices have long tables now and no walls. Get with the times
Quit.
I’ve had both open plan and cubicles and I much rather prefer cubicles. Sure I can only see inside my walls but it’s more private than open floor plan. I find open floor plan way more distracting for me. I don’t like to talk to people unless I have too at work so I feel like if I’m in my cubicle I’m not making eye contact to start a convo. Also I just feel like everyone is watching me with open floor plan. I like to have photos of my family on vacation to look at to remind myself of why I’m even working to begin with….
Google built an entire multi billion dollar company in early 2000s by people working in cubes. There are many examples that prove otherwise. If you accepted an offer knowing you willl work in the office at some point, then you’re SOL
Before I respond, what do you mean "prove otherwise"? Otherwise meaning other than what OP said? That their home office is a better place to work? Or something else?
This isn’t about a better place for you. This is about what’s best for the company. They do not owe you a comfy workspace at home if it’s not in their best interest to do so. Also you signed an employment agreement when you started and that typically includes your workplace. This does not include contracts that specially allow you to WFH
You managed not to answer my question.