The Downside of Working in a Cubicle
by Jon Peltier
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Peltier Technical Services, Inc., Copyright © 2012.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Last weekend I transferred my email to a new system in the cloud (did I really just say “in the cloud”??) and I came across an old email from my last “real” job. That was my only job ever where I worked in a cubicle, and it was awful for that and for so many other reasons.
Anyway, the email had a Top Ten list from David Letterman, from about September 2003. I hunted for the original list, and I found the list reposted many times, but not the original. And I decided I don’t like people who add a few more items to the list, because their items are never funny.
Without further ado, here’s…
Top Ten Drawbacks to Working in a Cubicle
10. Being told to “think outside the box” when you’re in a freakin’ box all day long.
9. Not being able to check e-mail attachments without turning around to see who’s behind you.
8. Cubicle walls do not offer much protection from any kind of gun fire.
7. That nagging feeling that if you press the right button, you’ll get a piece of cheese.
6. Lack of roof rafters for the noose.
5. The walls are too close together for the hammock to work right.
4. 23 power cords – 1 outlet.
3. Prison cells are not only bigger, they also have beds.
2. The carpet has been there since 1976 and shows more signs of life than your coworkers.
And… the number 1 drawback to working in a cubicle….
1. You can’t slam the door on your way out when you quit.
Related Posts:
- How To: Assign a Macro to a Button or Shape
- Installing an Add-In in Excel 2007
- Rolling Wheel Animation
- Logarithmic Axis Scales
- Calculate Nice Axis Scales in Your Excel Worksheet
- Gapminder for Excel
Posted: Friday, July 16th, 2010 under Amusement.
Comments: 4
Comments
Comment from AnnMaria
Time: Friday, July 16, 2010, 2:33 am
I like #8. I had a colleague tell me that in meetings with crazy clients or co-workers I am the last person he wants in the room. He said, “Nothing personal, but you are really little and I want someone bigger enough to hide behind if Psycho Customer starts shooting.”
Comment from Michael Pennington
Time: Friday, July 16, 2010, 11:15 am
Good stuff, Jon. I needed a laugh and I can definitely relate to these. We just went through a massive renovation at our home office and yet the 23 power chords, 1 outlet rule still applies. Love the think outside the box, now get in your box, reference, too. Good times, good times…
Comment from Steve Fleming
Time: Monday, July 19, 2010, 12:23 pm
Perfect timing. We are moving from offices to cubicles next week.
Comment from Woody
Time: Friday, July 23, 2010, 6:23 pm
Classic Jon !
brings back memories of the 4 man cubicle at ******** (you know where), with Ho to the left and JimS to the right, and shared table in between … which then evolved into the 4 man cubicle with aisles between.
weren’t those the days!
—Woody
Write a comment
I welcome comments from my readers. If you have an opinion on this post, if you have a question or if there is anything to add, I want to hear from you. Whether you agree or disagree, please join the discussion.
If you want to include an image in your comment, post it on your own site or on one of the many free image sharing sites, and include a link in your comment. I'll download your image and insert the necessary html to display the image inline.
Read the PTS Blog Comment Policy.