The Great Escape Forty million American employees toil in soulless cubicles

Fortune ^ | 15Mar06 | Julie Schlosser

[Skooz]

Thanks.

That cartoon is now hanging in my cubicle.

[Uri’el-2012]

Before cubes, it was soulless bullpens. The cubes are better.

Ditto Mr.Ditto

[derllak]

Can I please have a job at your place of employment? ;)

[ßuddaßudd]

freeping from my cube long time now...

[pepperdog]

I guess a lot of people here don't remember the open offices. I must say it was much easier for management to see who was where in those days.

My first night (12-8)on a new job in an open office in a aircraft maintenance hangar: the bell or the 20 minute lunch period rang at 4am, everyone pulled their little brown bags out and ate quickly, several then laid their heads down for a quick nap. When the bell rang at 4:20 everyone went back to work, except one man who I thought was sleeping and didn't hear the bell. It was soon discovered he was dead. Quite exciting first day of work!

[IrishRainy]

I've worked at home for about 20 years, and I love it. Unfortunately, I can't stand my current hospital job, but the thought of actually having to go into an office again makes me ill, so I try to focus on the things about my job that I DO like....

[Professional Engineer]

Looks like my first engineering job!

I still have my drafting table at home.

[Professional Engineer]

Didn't you get that memo?

I dodged it, but still keep hearing about it. LOL

[Still Thinking]

The interview also included a day-long psychological exam that I failed (they said I was too aggressive because I drove a 68 Dodge Charger). LOL, those were the bad old days.

Well, it all depends on what the definition of the word "failed", um, is. I'd say you passed with flying colors.

[Still Thinking]

In some ways I prefer a drafting table to a CAD station.

[Tokra]

When the bell rang at 4:20 everyone went back to work, except one man who I thought was sleeping and didn't hear the bell. It was soon discovered he was dead. Quite exciting first day of work!

Back in the 70s I worked on the floor of a major stock exchange. One heavy trading day a broker keeled over dead with a heart attack. The other brokers just stepped over him and continued trading.

The show must go on.

[pepperdog]

Yes, we all went back to work too. Medical just came and took him away.

[Professional Engineer]

I still have a lot of the basic tools and such. It's refreshing at times to get my lead holders out and draw.

[Basilides]

Too close to the truth...

Bob Slydell: You see, what we're trying to do is get a feeling for how people spend their time at work so if you would, would you walk us through a typical day, for you?

Peter Gibbons: Yeah.

Bob Slydell: Great.

Peter Gibbons: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, ah, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me, heh - after that I sorta space out for an hour.

Bob Porter: Da-uh? Space out?

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.

Later...

Bob Slydell: I'd like to move us right to Peter Gibbons. We had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

[Professional Engineer]

Didn't you get that memo?

Nope. Blockbuster was fresh out of the one copy of the memo they had.

[Fresh Wind]

For a number of years, though not in management, I lucked into a situation that allowed me a private laboratory/office in addition to the standard issue cubicle. There was no window, but it had a locking door, and I had better accomodations than 90% of the managers there. I visited my actual cubicle once or twice a day to pick up my mail and messages. One of my proudest moments was day of a public open house when my dad visited. I got to show him my private lab, something he had done for me years before where he had worked. I would have gone crazy if I had to sit in a cubicle the whole time.

[JoeGar]

Did you ever see what businesses had before cubicles? A sea of desks covering an open floor. The cubicle was a great step up!

[Still Thinking]

Bob Slydell: I'd like to move us right to Peter Gibbons. We had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

Lumberg: Um, yeah...I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you on that.

I love that line.