Cubicle farm!!!

[Ronstar]

I had an office down a quiet hallway for many years. Then a major storm and a clogged rooftop drainage system caused a partial roof collapse that flooded my office. During reconstruction, I lived in the cubicle farm next to the engineering techs that did my work. It was great for workflow having our group close together.

I was down to 1-2 days a week at work when my office was rebuilt. But I never moved back in. The company moved to a new office across town, where I again had a cubicle next to the techs and close to my replacement. A convenient place for my transition to RE.

I had a strange group of cubicle people. They rarely made a sound.

[Bamaman]

First we had open offices, then we moved and had engineered cubicles.

Next up will be consolidation of offices in either a few large cities or some off the wall city--neither of which no one will want or can afford to live. No one will accept the transfer.

Our 75 person office ended up 7 people working out of their houses. I saw the writing on the wall and moved to where we were going to retire to.

Lastly comes a downturn in the economy (2008), and everyone's sent home permanently with a big, fat severance/retirement package. Thank you, Megacorp.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar I lived in the cubicle farm next to the engineering techs that did my work. It was great for workflow having our group close together.

I didn't mind cubes for workflow. Agree it worked really well. I can even see the benefit of open office in this regard.

However, what left me perplexed was when we were told it was all good for workflow, yet our team was asked to work closely with off-shore people. Rarely did we work with the people next to us! That caused more phone conversations, etc. It wasn't adding up.

[Aerides]

6' x 6' cube? that's luxury mate!

My MC moved to open seating - we called it picnic tables. Long narrow tables where the only separation from you to the person the other side is your pc monitors. And someone next to you doing the same.

Lockers for personal things to leave overnight. It's all part of Agile we were told. More like cheap real estate...

[MRG]

Hey stop whining. Our local McDonald's just reopened after a several month remodel to the lobby and outside. The poor slobs who worked in the kitchen and drive thru worked through the construction.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides 6' x 6' cube? that's luxury mate! My MC moved to open seating - we called it picnic tables. Long narrow tables where the only separation from you to the person the other side is your pc monitors. And someone next to you doing the same. Lockers for personal things to leave overnight. It's all part of Agile we were told. More like cheap real estate...

These just seem like a nightmare! Really spells out how expendable you are.

[ckelly78z]

Watch the movie "Office Space" and have a chuckle.

I have a cube with a viewing window overlooking my shop....almost every person doesn't want to make to trip around one wall (another 10' walk) to talk to face to face, so they try to talk through the window, and end up sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher " WA, waaaa, wa wa" !

[Chuckanut]

At one job my desk was a table, the kind that folds up for storage. No drawers, nothing to store material. We would go down the the computer printer room and get the empty paper boxes. We taped them together, cut openings in them and used that as a file cabinet. Of course, there was not privacy at all, no way to shield yourself for distractions.

You have to think if these managers were football team managers they would provide lead soled boots to their running backs, overly tight restrictive clothing to their quarterbacks, and the defensive squad would have their ankles roped together (to promote teamwork!).

[deskpilot]

My MC gutted and remodeled our site to switch from offices to the picnic table model - although the picnic tables were the best that you could waste money on - they raised and lowered electronically and had all the bells and whistles.

The part of the MC that did the remodeling truly believed in the benefits (to support an agile workplace). We were not being devalued. It cost a ton of money and saved none. This part of the MC probably should have spoken to the part of the MC that was preparing to fire us all.

right after remodeling, the MC started getting rid of us. One at a time, they would close floors of the newly redone building and consolidate the remaining employees. We were down to the last floor when they fired just about everyone and sold the building.

Each time a floor was shut down, the furniture was shipped to growing locations overseas. So, the furniture was off-shored along with our jobs.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Lockers for personal things to leave overnight. It's all part of Agile we were told. More like cheap real estate...

Spot on. Picnic tables do not equal "agile."

Speaking of picnic tables... my MC put actual, real life, picnic tables in the common area of open space. These were not well received. They replaced them with couches, some of which had power, USB and fold out tables. Slightly better received

[FreeBear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deskpilot right after remodeling, the MC started getting rid of us. One at a time, they would close floors of the newly redone building and consolidate the remaining employees. We were down to the last floor when they fired just about everyone and sold the building. Each time a floor was shut down, the furniture was shipped to growing locations overseas. So, the furniture was off-shored along with our jobs.

Same old story here. Old manufacturing plant was turned into a "technology center". Remodeled the entrance and adjacent offices. Hired a bunch of expensive outside people with advanced degrees that knew nothing about the business. Two years later, they shut the entire place down.

After the annual layoff, management would "reassure" the survivors that there would be no more layoffs. We'd add a mumbled "at least for today". Fortunately, I had already planned to pull the rip chord when things got really bad. Then it was not longer painful to listen to the nonsense, just surreal.

[kgtest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by albireo13 So, my lovely MegaCorp has decided to relocate us to a new location in a major city where commuting will be a nightmare. One gift of the change will be moving into the latest trend of office technology ... the farm. Workers will be packed closer, having basically 6’ x 6’ of space. So you get to tap away on your keyboard while the guy across from you is picking his nose while the neighbor to your left is nursing a terminal flem attack. Meanwhile your neighbor to your right is doing the left-cheek-sneak after a breakfast of refried beans and stale tuna fish! Can't wait to retire.

I had to work staring at someone directly across from me basically working from a card table before. #ITstartupLife

I *might have to do this again, sigh.

[Kabowest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Yep. Went from office, to 6x8, to 6x6, to open office (i.e rows of desks, side by side). Nothing like rows of desks, with your best buds sitting next to you looking at your screen, while they blab on the phone. It was an effective way to get me to press the ER button.

Sounds like a scene from the movie Brazil!

[ExFlyBoy5]

Well, I guess it's better than being sent to "Storage B", right?

[kgtest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 Well, I guess it's better than being sent to "Storage B", right?

Not entirely...if the paycheck keeps coming, but in Milton's case, yeah not good. *mumbling But I didn't receive my paycheck and HR said...

[kgtest]

I honestly think the open office concept is also pushing the Work Remote trend. It's like a magnet, one effects the other...and the result is polar opposite LMAO.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest Not entirely...if the paycheck keeps coming, but in Milton's case, yeah not good. *mumbling But I didn't receive my paycheck and HR said...

As sad as it might sound, Office Space is probably my #2 favorite movie and I watch it at least once a month; Mike Judge is brilliant!

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabowest Sounds like a scene from the movie Brazil!

We didn't have all the tubes and wires and stuff.

[RxMan]

“Corporate accounts payable Nina speaking, just a moment....”

Office Space is a classic!

I actually had a paper jam in one of the printers at work recently and all I could do was smile because it immediately made me think of this movie.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RxMan “Corporate accounts payable Nina speaking, just a moment....” Office Space is a classic! I actually had a paper jam in one of the printers at work recently and all I could do was smile because it immediately made me think of this movie.

A track of gangsta rap always played in my head when the copier jammed at work. There is so much about Office Space that rings true. We even had a group of 3 guys with the same name on the same project and people would say, "Let's go meet with The Bobs" when it was time for a project meeting.