Check this screenshot from the movie The Matrix:
Am I crazy in thinking that the cubicle looks cozy?
Quite clearly the movie is trying to depict the character's workplace as bleak, depressing and sucking the life out of you. (Notice the unrealistically dim lighting for an office at work hours, the very dark shadows, the muted colors, the very austere furnishing and complete lack of any decorations.)
Yet, somehow, the movie fails to convince me. Maybe I am crazy in thinking that that cubicle looks almost cozy, like it would be quite comfortable to be in for hours on end, to work there.
Cubicles in offices used to be quite more prevalent in many countries in the past (especially the 80's and 90's) than they are today. In fact, in many countries it seems that cubicles are being explicitly avoided, in favor of an open office design with very few if any partitions. I get the feeling that nowadays in most places the traditional office cubicles are considered undesirable and something to avoid.
I don't really understand why.
Having worked at many offices for way too long, let me tell you: I absolutely hate open offices, and would kill for a good old cubicle.
Working at an open office is stressful and anxiety inducing. It always feels like someone is watching over your shoulder at your screen, to see what you are doing. Even if you are doing actual work at an efficient pace, the constant feeling of being watched makes it stressful.
Cubicles introduce a modicum of privacy. You can work freely without the feeling of prying eyes constantly watching everything you do. They also introduce a degree of decorative freedom: Unless strictly forbidden (or physically impossible) you can often rearrange the furniture inside the cubicle to your liking (for example in a manner that the back of the computer display is facing the entrance of the cubicle so that people walking by can't see your screen). Of course cubicle partition walls are usually not tall enough to stop a standing person seeing to the other side, but this is quite conspicuous and not really something someone can do furtively, so it kind of works. Maybe your neighbor worker wants to chat with you over the partition and that's fine, but it's very conspicuous and doesn't feel like someone furtively watching what you are doing.
Some offices use a kind of half-open design, where there are some partitions (especially behind computer displays), but only on one or at most two sides of the work area of one worker. This isn't really all that much better than a fully open design that has no partitions of any kind. (Basically the only thing these partitions offer is a place to pin notes, but that's about it.)
Many offices use a fully open design with zero partitions. The worst offices I have seen, in person, had workers sitting on long tables side-by-side with a ridiculously small amount of desk space for themselves. (I'm really, really glad I don't have to work at such a place. It would be horrible.)
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