NWR: I want a cubicle!

lilacck28

Fiance started his paid internship today (that's on top of going to grad school... I'm so proud of him!) He sent me a text message with a picture of his cubicle. And I am so jealous! At the new job (which I start this Thursday... so nervous!) I'll have a nice big desk with a side piece... but it will be in a big open space with everyone else. I want some privacy! I want walls! I hope I have a lot to do, because I certainly won't be able to just browse the internet with everyone able to look right in. I'm terrified of having bored moments. How ridiculous am I?

Dignity100

You're TOTALLY NOT CRAZY!!!  I went from the cubicle life to the 'pod life' - there are 4 of us in a pod we have really really low walls.  The only thing that helps me out is we have privacy screens on our monitors.  We don't even have a place to put our jackets besides on the back of our chairs!! 

If you're curious - this is a rendering of my office while they were building it:

lilacck28

@dignity100

Thank you! AHHH I want my walls! Isn't that terrible? I want privacy so I can futz around on the knot when I'm bored. But also... I feel so awkward in a big space just silently working in front of strangers. A big open space makes me feel like we're supposed to be talking or something? 

What do you do at work when you're bored? The knot? you feel safe enough to do that? How do you guys decide it's allowable to go online or chat with someone? 

The boss said to me "I know cubicles would be more efficient. You'd get more work done that way, but I want a nice community environment." That's all well and good but... it seemed so awkward and quiet every time I went in for an interview/ chat. We'll see how this pony show develops... 

GoldenPenguin

I would die if I had to go from my private office to a cube/pod farm.

lilacck28

GoldenPenguin said:

I would die if I had to go from my private office to a cube/pod farm.

STUCK IN BOX

JEALOUS. SO JEALOUS.

lilacck28

I'd still take a cube over a nice desk in an open space with everyone else. I envy you @LivLeighton.

loves2shop4shoes

I have a private office with a door that locks.  I always leave the door open, but it's nice to have some privacy.

Swazzle

I sit on what I guess is an open desk. I like it. I would get bored being alone in an office. The set up is the same but a year ago I was on a trading floor which was very loud and active. The desk I'm on now is quieter but we have fun down here. We have a TV and it's never silent, we all chat with each other throughout the day. 

buddysmom80

I went from an office with 0 supervision to a cube farm with six supervisors/managers around me all day.

IT SUCKS.

[Deleted User]

I went from a very nice private office with a window to a cubicle in a corner with a window soooo I guess it isn't too bad but I miss being able to close my door if I had to make a call or if someone else was on the phone next to me and they were being loud.

Dignity100

There's a lot going on in my office - I didn't show you the 'fun stuff'.  We have a 1/2 court basketball (indoors), 2 tennis courts (outdoors) an indoor vollyball court, we have a game room with a Xbox One, PS4, a couple arcade games, there are couches and HUGE bean bag chairs everywhere.  We also have "quite rooms" - I use the quite rooms for if I need to make a personal phone call.

If I get bored, I will go on TK, I just keep my browser window small.  I also have a laptop, so if I really need to I can move around.

People don't really watch what you're doing as much as you'd imagine.  I will say there is a lot more team interaction in our open/pod format than when I was in cubesville.  The biggest thing I don't like is that we don't have that much space/storage.

[Deleted User]

I went from a cube (and I liked it, it had high walls and wasn't too bad at all) to sitting in a small room at long tables with 4 other people.  it's just temporary, but it's cramped like crazy.  can't wait for our brand new cubicles to be ready!  I miss having my own personal space at work.  it's so tight in here, and there are cords everywhere.  it's a hazard waiting to happen.

lavenderfields13

I'm impatiently waiting to move to an office so right now being at my cube is annoying. BUT I have the best cube in the office, we have cube walls and mine is in the corner. I would take this any day over being out in the open with no cube

Pepperally

When I read the subject of this thread, I was like...what????  Who wants to work in a cubicle.  I now realize some people have it worse than me.  For this I'm sorry. 

I'm used to the cubicle world, having worked in one for ten years now.  But, we recently moved buildings and this new cube is right in the area of a main walkway and everyone who walks down the walkway stares straight into my cube.  I hate it.  I feel like I'm the welcoming committee or something in the mornings.  And there are also top people in our company near me now, which they used to be on another floor.  So they're always passing by.  I used to be down a dead-end aisle so no one came back there.  Now I have to put my internet stuff in small windows so no one can really see what I'm doing, but it's tough.  We are in the clinical field so our computers are supposed to be "hidden" from view, but they're not.  I have mine maneuvered as much as possible. 

lilacck28

Just had my first day. In the "policies" it says not to do anything on the internet that is personal, not to be texting, etc. ... and I'm out there in the open... So I didn't. It was brutal.... and so boring. I looked around, and never noticed anyone NOT working. So, I don't know when I'll feel comfortable enough to give my brain some entertainment every once in a while. Hopefully eventually! Or I get more interesting work to do. 

 But, other than that, the day was fine. I was given a research project-- looking up trademarks, etc. Mind numbing. Hopefully it gets more interesting as I keep going!