Office floor plans with cubicles were the norm about half a century ago. However, the inevitable change with time also crept into the office floor layouts. In the past two decades, more and more workplaces took out the walls between their employees and opted for open-plan offices. While the strategy solved some issues, it also gave rise to some other problems, leaving everyone to discuss if office cubicles are better or offices with open-plan seating.
The Pros and Cons of Office Cubicles
Office cubicles are often considered restrictive, cramped, and isolated. However, they also provide much-needed privacy to the employees.
Moreover, they allow the employees with dedicated workstations, which helps them personalize their workspace and make it comfortable to suit their needs. Introverted and quiet employees also prefer office cubicles as cubicles minimize distraction and forced communication for them.
On the other hand, extroverted employees do not prefer office cubicles as they limit their social interactions. After all, employees aren’t supposed to spend too much of their time outside their cubicles or peeking in the cubicles next to theirs.
From the organizational perspective, cubicles don’t allow the managers and team leaders to freely interact with their teams. Managers have to go to each employee separately or ask everyone to join their office. Since most workplaces that opt for cubicles provide bigger cubicles to managers, office cubicles also divide employees.
The Pros and Cons of Open Plan Offices
Open-plan offices come with a lack of privacy and can be uncomfortable for introverted employees or those who prefer a quiet environment. According to an article by Harvard Business Review, open-plan offices have been shown to reduce employees’ productivity in the long run.
However, open-plan offices are great for achieving collaboration and promoting open communication. They bring a sense of innovation, collaboration, and community to the workplace. As all seating options in open-plan offices are similar and equally comfortable, they remove the unnecessary distinction between managers and junior employees.
Sometimes, a lack of dedicated workstations in open-plan offices also removes redundancy from workplaces. Employees can move around the office with greater mobility and flexibility without feeling confined to a cramped space. Moreover, open-plan offices also encourage employees to be social and feel more comfortable with their coworkers.
From an organizational point of view, open-plan offices are cost-effective. Startups are especially fond of open-plan offices as they can easily set up and seat more employees than office cubicles.
Conclusion
Office cubicles and open office plans both have their fair share of pros and cons. As an employer, you can research what works better for your specific industry. Alternatively, you can also choose a hybrid floor plan. A hybrid floor plan provides a mix of seating options for employees.
Seating options include semi-private cubicles, smaller or limited open plan seating, and smaller dividing walls rather than half walls to minimize visual distraction.
The hybrid seating option allows employees to choose their seating according to their work and personality and keeps everyone happy.
