The cubicle mounted workspaces were used to be assumed as the most perfect office interior back in 60s and 70s. Later the cubicles lost their prosperity as the highest recommended office design because of certain drawbacks that arose back then. These few drawbacks included the following points –
- Hinders the team work – The cubicles were assumed to be a hindrance in the process of team work which is a very important part for any organisation.
- Does not support collaboration – The collaboration among the employees doubles up the productivity. The cubicles in the workspace do not allow the employees to work collaboratively and thus limits productivity.
- The relation among the employees is hard to build – The inbetween discussions of the employees during the work build the relationship of trust and support among the employees. This process somewhat remains unachieved while sitting in a privately parted small cube shaped area.
- Communication Gap is the outcome – When the trust among the employees does not build, the communication gaps occur that may lead to disturbed consistency in work.
Because of the above mentioned reasons, the offices started to adopt the open working spaces as their new preference. The open office interior and informal working style took the place of cubicles.
But one thing cannot be denied that fashion and preferences keep evolving. With the ever changing time, the cubicles are once again making a comeback. Although the open work spaces come with a lot of benefits, everything has both advantages and drawbacks and so do the open work spaces. There are certain points that make the open offices a not so favourable office interior.
Drawbacks of Open Workspace
- Disturbes the privacy – Every employee deserves some privacy for working according to his/her comfort. It doesn’t only promote their working efficiency, but also help the employee to keep working with whole dedication in the favourable working conditions. An open office does not provide this advantage to its employees. The employees have to struggle with their privacy.
The employees might feel exposed in an open office. They will always keep having a feeling that someone is keeping an eye on their work that might make them feel uncomfortable and conscious. The employees certainly don’t like to work in such places.
- The cause of noise distraction – One of the biggest drawbacks of open office interior is noise distraction. Not everyone can remain disciplined all the hours of work. Even a minor indiscipline or informal activity can disturb the whole working environment and eventually result in disturbed productivity of the company.
The office cubicles resolve this problem wonderfully. And this is why, the companies are once again heading back to switch their office interior in office cubicles. The main advantages of office cubicles are listed below.
Advantages of Office Cubicles
- Maintains the privacy of the employees while working
The Cubicle office interior helps in maintaining the privacy of the employee. The employee can keep working according to his/her comfort without feeling exposed. When the employees will experience the comfort in the environment they will feel joyed and perform harmoniously.
- Give a personalised space to the employees for their personal stuff.
The office cubicles allow the employees to set up their space according to their choice and interest. They can place their personal stuff that they use during the office hours according to their convenience.
- Reduce the distraction in the office environment
The office cubicles hinder the noise to revolve around the environment of the office causing distraction. Firstly, the back to back layers of the partition don’t let the noise pass through. Secondly, it avoids the frequent encounters and thus avoids the distraction among the employees.
- The Office interior looks well organised
The open work space can look a bit untidy. The stuff may look unorganised and unsuitable. The office cubicles divide the space in equal partitions and allow the office items to be placed in an organised manner and on the fixed place. This makes the office very presentable.
Bottom Line
Though everything comes with both positive and negative traits, something gains its space in the new trend when all the situations are in favour and demand increases. In the current corporate scenario, the office cubicles are being demanded as they fulfil all the needs of modern offices. This environmental favour has made the office cubicles come back.
