An office cubicle is a small space that is divided with partitions to give privacy to the employee without having to spend a lot of money on adding walls for an office. The space is generally very small with little room to spare for anything extra. The partitions serve to allow the employee the privacy they crave without being face to face with everyone else in the office throughout the day. Cubicles are very effective in helping the employee feel as though they have their own space. It is like having a mini-office with no door.

Office cubicles are effective because the employee is given what they need and the employer doesn’t have to spend unnecessary funds to build walls that would only make the office space seem even smaller than it already is. Office space can be hard to come by when a business begins to grow. More and more employees are hired and the available office space has already been filled.

Cubicle space has been effective because it makes the office area look more professional than a lot of desks sitting in the middle of the floor. The design of the overall office looks more organized and “together” when cubicles are added. This is just one of the important ways in which office cubicles are effective.

Employees like the idea of having their own space as well. When someone works in an office, they want to know that they are able to have some sense of privacy. The privacy afforded by the use of cubicles may not be premium, but it is far better than the alternative. There are no doors on the cubicle to keep people from entering, but if someone enters the space, everyone else will know whether or not they are supposed to be there. That makes cubicles important simply because they keep the belongings of the person who works in it a little safer from theft and other possible issues that might occur.

Cubicles allow each person to have their own locker and filing cabinets as well. This is an effective way to store paperwork that doesn’t go in the main files. Without cubicles, the employees desk becomes overwhelmed with paperwork that can’t be thrown away but must be kept. Cubicles are effective in keeping the office as a whole organized. Organization is one of the most important things in an office and cubicles are effective in keeping the office space neat and clean.

People often complain about cubicles being too small or too confining. The truth is, office cubicles make a big difference in how these same people feel when they come to work in the morning. It makes them feel as though they have their own place in the office. The worker’s that complain about their cubicles would be flabbergasted if their cubicle was taken away and they were thrown into the middle of the office with a bunch of other desks with no privacy or storage space. Be thankful for the effective cubicle you work in each day.

Source: Helium.com

Nasdaq 4/30/10 - Corporate America has 25-50% more space than it actually needs, particularly as tenants move toward more open floor plans, more staff work remotely and companies reduce costs by cutting the amount of space allocated per person. That's the view of Howard Ecker , president of Chicago-based tenant representation firm Howard Ecker & Associates . "Companies have gone from offices to cubicles and now they are going to benching," he said.

Space per person has been in the news lately, with Goldman Sachs reducing its space per person from 228 to 178 square feet and famously putting a number of less-senior executives in internal offices without windows when it moved to its new headquarters building in New York. But Goldman isn't the only one. Over the years, law firms have gone from 750 square feet per lawyer to 500. "They are now going down below that," Ecker said. Advertizing agencies once had 250 square feet per person and now have less than 100, he added.

Bob Stella , president of New York-based tenant representation firm Cresa Partners , said more companies have staff that telecommute or use hoteling, where more than one staffer uses the same workspace. "All companies are looking at ways to be more efficient. It's possible to create a great working environment and do it with less space," he added. "You can virtually be working on your laptop from home and perform a lot of the same tasks."

Although the office market isn't there yet, Ecker believes that changing demographics will have the biggest impact on office space needs and cited the emergence of the Echo Boomers, or the Millenials, who are entering the workforce. "Four percent of the workplace is 65 and older and 50% is 45 and under. As they disappear and younger people start to make decisions, the complexion of the office environment will change," he said. "The younger the decision maker, the less space they will take."

In an extreme case, the need for less space could ultimately stamp out new office development, Ecker said. "If we have 25-50% more space than we need, why build another office building? A lot of people say they have to be in new buildings because they are more efficient. But new buildings aren't inherently more efficient," he said. Finally, using less space is also a much greener option. "Green is a really big issue today. The U.S. government can't lease space in a building that isn't LEED certified and they are leading the charge into efficiency," he said. "The greenest thing that can be done is to use less space."

Source: NASDAQ.com

A 2008 World at Work consortium study found that more than 17 million Americans telecommute at least part time, a number that continues to grow as companies look for ways to cut costs and increase productivity

To create a functional home office, interior designer Sharon McCormick suggests considering the following:

Location: Possible spaces include a spare bedroom, bonus room, guest bedroom, walk-in closet, unused living room, dining room, basement, attic, landing, kitchen or, as a last resort, your bedroom.

Privacy: Consider how much privacy and quiet you need and whether you hate feeling isolated.

Tax write-off: If you are looking for a tax deduction, your space will need to be dedicated to work.

Utilities and equipment: Consider whether you have, or can install, electrical outlets, phone jacks and cable in the space. Determine your equipment needs: phone, fax, printer, desktop or laptop. Consider wireless applications to minimize cords and allow for more flexibility.

Lighting: Overhead lighting is optimal and compensates for lack of natural light. Task lighting is needed for individual activities, for example, a desk lamp.

Noise: Telephone conversations with clients or co-workers require a professional atmosphere. Think about adding French doors to a living room, changing out hollow-core doors to solid doors, or adding carpeting and window treatments to muffle outside sounds.

Storage needs: Do you need bookshelves for reference manuals? Filing cabinets? Do you use many office supplies? Will you be keeping sensitive information that needs to be under lock and key?

Desk configuration: An L- or U-shaped arrangement may be best if you like to spread out your projects.
Wire management: Will you end up with unsightly wires everywhere? Sometimes just drilling a grommet hole in a desk can solve that problem.

Source: Courant.com

National Green Office Week is focusing public attention on the need for greater environmental sensitivity at work.  But if a real green contribution is to be made, then firms need to look at their office facilities and understand the level to which they are really used.

A study by workplace solutions provider Regus has shown that around 38% of office space is not utilised at any given time.  However, from an environmental point of view, that space is being heated, lit and otherwise consuming energy, whether staff are using it or not.  Therefore office businesses in South Africa need to examine the ways in which they provide workspace facilities in order to better align facilities with actual occupancy, and eliminate the wastage of huge amounts of energy each year.

Various studies have identified that each employee in a service industry business consumes energy equivalent to two tonnes of carbon emission each year.  If the Regus study’s findings about office under-utilisation are combined with these third party statistics on employee workspace energy consumption, then across South Africa’s 3 million office workers, over 2 million tonnes of carbon is being unnecessarily emitted every year.  South African businesses are also wasting money on energy consumption for office space that simply isn’t being used Business’s rands-and-cents perspective on green issues is spotlighted by Joanne Bushell at Regus South Africa.

She notes: “Being smart about the workspace you provide delivers ‘greenback’ to the environment and into your bottom line.  How compelling an argument is that?  Good environmental practice is good business.  But it requires businesses to take a step back and strategically review how they provide employees with workspace.
 
Smart firms are already adopting hybrid solutions that relieve them from the wastage inherent in traditional long-term leases.  Traditional office property arrangements may be retained for the inner core of a company’s administration.  However, the recent global recession has taught us all that firms need to become smarter, more agile and able to morph quickly with volatile and rapidly changing markets.  We need to make sure that our workspace arrangements are totally aligned with the ability to scale and change at the rate that keeps business competitive in the 21st century.  In addition, smart, cost-effective workspace solutions cut carbon emissions, energy costs and waste.”

Bushell, Johannesburg-based Regus vice-president, Middle East and Africa, adds: “Local firms are keen to optimise the economic upturn without renting more space and adding to fixed overheads.
 
“Office space is not only a major cost, it’s also a big user of electricity, air-conditioning and heating fuel – again underlining the relationship between the carbon footprint and the bottom line.”

Source: EPROP

Bolgger's note: Although this is specific to South Africa, it can be apllied to office space everywhere else as well.

NEW YORK—Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s new headquarters in lower Manhattan has the kind of amenities befitting masters of Wall Street. The $2.1 billion steel-and-glass building has giant murals, opera-house ceiling heights, and a gym with overachiever fitness classes, like "Awesome Abs."

But a new class of haves and have-nots has emerged—even at Goldman where the notion of have-nots is relative. Outside offices are now reserved only for the firm's more than 300 elite partners. Managing directors, next down in the Goldman hierarchy, almost always get windowless inside offices.

And vice presidents, many of whom had offices before the move, now sit at open-space workbenches that in an earlier era would have been called a typing pool. They aren't thrilled.

"I haven't had a desk like this since high school," said one employee who asked not to be named.

Even some managing directors are grousing. Vice presidents, they note, often get a window seat at their bullpen desks, a sort of consolation prize for having lost an office. "I used to have an office with a view," explained one managing director. "Now I need binoculars to see sunlight."

In many other ways, though, Goldman employees aren't feeling let down by the upgrade. Unlike their old digs on 85 Broad St., which was cramped and had an obstructed view of New Jersey, Goldman's new space at nearby 200 West St. is steps away from the Hudson River, offering a panorama that includes New York Harbor.

The company has been secretive about its new headquarters, especially as it tries to counter criticism that has hurt the company's sterling image. So far, 6,500 of the 7,500 employees that will work in the 43-story building have moved in. Chairman and Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein arrived a few weeks ago.

Founded in 1869, Goldman has always been based in downtown New York. In 2004, Goldman decided it was time to trade up from its Broad Street headquarters. At the time, financial companies rattled by the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were threatening to leave downtown Manhattan. In 2005, Goldman received tax breaks and grants valued at more than $200 million toward the new building, which stands just across the street from Ground Zero.

 

The new place has a mural in the lobby (bottom, as seen through a window with reflections from street.)

 

Goldman broke ground in 2005. The construction was plagued with problems. In 2007, seven tons of steel fell off the 740-foot-tall building, paralyzing an architect on the ground. Then a sheet of steel plummeted from the 18th floor, landing in a baseball field where a Little League game was being played. There were no injuries.

The first employees arrived by November 2009. The building occupies 2.1 million square feet and features six massive trading floors, each larger than a football field and equipped with enough flat-screen monitors to stock a Best Buy. The basement houses 92 storage tanks that hold 1.7 million pounds of ice made each night when electricity rates are lower than during daytime hours. Air cooled by the melting ice circulates throughout the building.

One of the building's most notable features is the Sky Lobby on the 11th floor. Flooded with light from a glass ceiling, the area resembles a massive auditorium-like space that houses banks of conference rooms, a cafeteria and employee gym. Henry Cobb, a partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the building's lead architect, calls the Sky Lobby the "living room" of the building.

Baristas serve French Toast Baba pastries and lattes in the cafe, not to be confused with the Sky Lobby cafeteria that offers a deep panini lineup and deadly cupcakes, employees say. Considering the old building's cafeteria was in a windowless basement, one of the most welcome features of the new eatery is the light of day.

The 54,000-square foot gym, called the GS Wellness Exchange, has classes from 5:45 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. The new steam rooms for men and women are drawing mixed reviews. Some employees find the idea of "steaming" with co-workers objectionable. Others, not so much. "Once you have seen your colleagues naked in the locker room, steaming with them isn't that weird," says one employee.

The employee reading lounge features Goldman-approved books, including "On the Brink," the bestseller by former Goldman Chairman and CEO turned Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. Employees also can thumb through "The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking" by Kevin Hogan and Mitch Albom's "Have a Little Faith: A True Story."

The reading room is too hushed and open for vice presidents evicted from their old offices to use for confidential phone calls. If they have sensitive issues to discuss, they can slip into private offices now reserved for visitors.

"If I had been at a bench my whole life, it would be fine," said one vice president, "but I used to have an office."

Source: WSJ