.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} An interesting feature dominates the office space of most companies. It’s called The Cubicle. Yes, the lovely cubicle, invented in 1964 by Robert Propst of Herman Miller Inc. In fact, you may be sitting in one right now. And if you are the typical cube dweller, your cube bears some similarities to your living room.

Instead of your TV, you have your computer, and then there is the artwork from your kids, family photos, vacation photos, even some vacation memorabilia, and of course the requisite 48-ounce coffee/soda cup. The only thing missing in some cubicles is a roof. I have even seen some that have a theme like a tropical beach, including everything but sand on the floor.

All of the cubicle paraphernalia is really designed to do one thing: keep up your morale while you slave away at your job. The pictures of your family remind you of why you need a job; the vacation photos remind you of how good life is when you’re not at your job.

According to Society for Human Resource Management statistics, 76 percent of all working people would be interested in another job opportunity. So do these rampant cubicle farms help keep people in their jobs, or do they reduce morale? Do cubicles contribute to that 76 percent statistic?

Who can forget the scene in the movie “Office Space” when Peter unscrews the walls of his cubicle to have a view of the sky – it was as though the Berlin Wall came down, and all the oppression was released. There are even Web sites such as CubicalSurvivalKit.com to help “cube workers” survive their jobs. And there are hundreds of other sites for cube workers documenting everything from cubicle etiquette to how to add a door. When not thought through, cubicles can take away more than they add in morale to the work environment – but is that the whole story?

Companies rely on cubicles for several reasons, including productivity, cost, maximization of space, etc. It is not wrong for companies to have cubicles, but at the same time they should give more thought to the overall effect. They need to evaluate the staff who will sit in those boxes. They should develop the type of space that will help their employees be more productive and fit their personalities and needs.

Short-walled cubicles and open floor plans typically add greater collaboration, increased creativity, easier access to team members and fewer opportunities to slack off and surf the Net or talk on the phone aimlessly. On the other side of the coin, tall-walled cubicles reduce distraction, improve focus and make it easier to have confidential work conversations. Though I don’t think one size fits all, companies should be more diligent about increasing job satisfaction and employee morale by surveying their work environments and making changes where appropriate.

Now let me answer the question I posed earlier. No, cubicles do not kill employee morale. With some thought, you can actually improve morale and productivity. Designing work spaces that meet the needs of your workers and their departments may persuade that 76 percent interested in leaving to stick around a lot longer.

Nick Reddin is the business development manager at Manpower Inc.’s Des Moines office.