Cubicles are getting a makeover…again

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By: Candace Corner  CareerBuilder.com

“Systems furniture” (a.k.a. the cubicle) has seen a lot of chances since the original conception by Robert Propst in 1968. 

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When Propst released his vision, he was working as the director of research at Herman Miller, and created the world’s first “Action Office,” stepping away from the bullpen format that was being used by most of America’s offices.  Today, over 70% of those offices use cubicles, spaces that have gotten smaller, shorter or just bizarre as time has gone by.

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But as today’s workers are taking advantage of their flex hours and office technology has shrunk from bulky computers to laptops and sleek designs, the cubicle is changing as well.  My Studio Environments – an innovation by the same company that brought the original designs that were manipulated into the cubes we occupy today – is setting a new standard for office settings.

My Studio Environments are pods that feature horseshoe shaped desks with a brushed steel frames and clear plastic.  Sliding low partitions replace high walls, and a sliding door creates allows the user to create more or less privacy depending on what they want. 

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The back-to-the-aisle design has been replaced and favored for a side-to-aisle format.  Gone are the days of getting surprised out of your skin anytime someone stops by to borrow your stapler. 

At an estimated $4,000 per unit, ditching the traditional cubicle won’t come cheap.