Office Work Spaces

Do you work in a cubicle? Or are you lucky enough to have your own office, with a door you can close? Do you have your own cube/office, or do you share it with other people? How does your work setup affect your ability to do your job?

I have worked in the professional world for over 12 years now. In total, I've held 7 full-time jobs of significant length (not counting temp jobs or very short contracts).

Of those 7 jobs, only 1 job gave me my own office. The rest of the time, I was in an individual cubicle, a giant shared cubicle, a lab workbench, or a snowboard-type setup (basically a very long table with multiple computers on it).

The Pros and Cons

I understand the numbers. Cubicles cost less than offices. They also cut down on time theft. I did a bit more more goofing off when I had my own office. Not a lot more, but a bit more.

However, I feel cubicles have FAR more cons than pros. The cons include:

1. An inability to concentrate. I find it extremely hard to focus on my work when some coworker is yapping in my ear from the other side of the cubicle wall. I can't hear myself think.
   
   This affects some professions -- like writers, editors, and proofreaders -- more than others. It affects some people more than others, too. Some people are simply better at tuning out noise than other people are.
   
   Nowadays, of course, you can drown out your coworkers by bringing music to work and plugging in your earbuds. Of course, this is not ideal because then you risk being distracted by your music.
   
   
2. A total lack of privacy. Every word you say, every cough, every snack you eat, every creak of your chair, every buzz of your cell phone, every click of the mouse, every stroke on the keyboard -- your coworkers hear it all. They can also see and smell everything, and we've all had coworkers who did things that we wish we wished we could avoid seeing or smelling.
   
   The younger generation may not feel this way, but I have always found this lack of privacy demeaning. It's like a not-so-secret message from the company: "Our profits are more important than your dignity as a human being." And heaven forbid you need to make a personal phone call to your doctor, or -- if you're a nursing mom -- use a pump. Good companies provide dedicated rooms for such things, but many do not.
   
   If you're just starting out in your field, a lack of workplace privacy can be particularly bothersome. Everybody makes mistakes while they learn. When you work in a cube, your mistakes are laid bare for the world to see. If you're on the phone a lot for work, you'll have coworkers coming up to you after a call, suggesting how you could have handled the person better or a better way to phrase something. Depending on your personality, you may find that advice helpful, or profoundly irritating (because they were eavesdropping, for one, and giving unsolicited advice, for two).
   

In short, my professional opinion is that companies could vastly improve productivity and reduce turnover by investing in some interior walls for their office spaces.

What do you think?