[loved the top comment; they'll be hunted down and fired for sure]
Zeppo Portland, OR July 18th, 2011 10:26 pm Cubicles and corner offices persist for one big reason: they mimic - and reinforce - the power structures within organizations. Need to show you've got power? Then you need an office, where you can call in minions and say, "Shut the door." Need a daily reminder that you've got no power? Then sit in your cube and listen to a gal describing her relationship woes to her friend (on one side) while a guy burps and farts (on the other side). Powerful people in organizations just love what the cubicle says to lower-level employees: "You cannot be trusted (hence my and everyone's need to monitor you), you don't deserve privacy, and your work really isn't important enough to merit ideal working conditions (while mine is!)." Cubicles are here to stay b/c they are cheap yet allow organizations to say they value their employees by giving them "good workspaces." I'd rather work from home - or anywhere - than suffer in a dehumanizing cubicle.