Thinking Outside the Box – Cubicles vs. Traditional Offices
In recent years, there has been a shift away from cubicles and back to traditional offices complete with walls and doors.
Which set up is best for your small business? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Privacy
Obviously, a traditional office will afford the user more privacy than a cubicle will.
For some workers, such as human resource managers, who need to have confidential meetings on a regular basis, a traditional office is going to be the best choice. An alternative is to have a dedicated meeting room.
This option allows you to assign everyone to a cubicle, while having a dedicated space for confidential meetings.
Access
With cubicles, workers have easy access to each other. In a business where employees need to consult with each other often, this is ideal.
Noise
Cubicles do not provide much protection from whatever noise is coming from the cubicle next door.
This can be troublesome for a worker who is trying to concentrate while the employee in the next cubicle is talking loudly on the telephone.
Some cubicles are more soundproof than others, but even the best cannot filter out all the noise.
Morale
Most employees would rather have an office than a cubicle. Aside from the reasons listed above, there is something about having his own office (rather than your own cubicle) that makes an employee feel that he is taken seriously.
Also, the lack of privacy and inability to tune out the noise can also directly contribute to low morale.
There are good arguments for both cubicles and traditional offices. Which is best for you depends on the needs of your business.
