How would you like it if your company took away your fabric covered cubicle or four walls and ceiling and dropped you into a sea of fellow workers in a common work area?

Most everyone who answered my unscientific website poll asking this question said it's a bit too close for comfort. One person even saw it as a possible sinister plot to “demoralize the employee so they will choose to leave.”

Although no company I know would admit that was their intention (not to mention that there are probably easier ways to get rid of someone), this person's fear does say something about the distrust that can exist between some employees and management.

What companies do say is that they've opted for the open floor plan as a way to inspire collaboration which can lead to creativity and improved morale.

This idea of minimizing personal space and emphasizing open work space that began as an experimental trend in the 90's seems to be picking up steam.

“Many organizations now come to us asking for these spaces in contrast to us having to recommend such spaces in the past,” says Ann Allwein, Director of Interiors for Ratcliff, an architecture, interiors and consulting firm in Emeryville , California .

They're asking for open conference areas and wider corridor spaces at intersections where people meet, she says. Younger companies especially--as opposed to more seasoned firms who had put a lot of money into cubicles—are exploring how to break down physical barriers to stimulate conversation.

Whether a company goes this route, “depends on how tuned in someone wants to feel,” adds Allwein.

Advantages can include shorter, impromptu meetings, sharing information more quickly and getting to know each other better.

On the other hand, I recently observed a man walking around his company's open space sniffing the air and calling out, “What's that foul smell?” Finally, one woman owned up to leaving her hard boiled egg and tuna sandwich sitting out on her desk.

Obviously, a new kind of common sense and courtesy must prevail in this era of openness with new rules about food, interrupting someone and voice level. According to John Mack, Senior Partner at HLW, an architecture, engineering planning and interior design firm headquartered in Manhattan , the space needs to accommodate four types of privacy: acoustical, visual, informational and territorial.

He also points out that with the dismantling of the cubicle comes the “workstation,” that is actually making the office landscape a bit more humane.

“People are encouraged to make eye contact, lower their voices in respect of others around them and only use speaker phones when in an enclosed room.”

While workers don't seem to mind more open break areas to congregate in, they haven't quite warmed up to the idea of losing those five-foot panels they once kicked and screamed about.

Open spaces also just don't cut it for some jobs and businesses. If you have a job that requires concentration and peace and quiet you need a room with a door.

Plus, “organizations must take into consideration that almost every person at some time or another needs privacy,” says Allwein. So there needs to be alternative space where people are not always within earshot of others.

Nearly everyone who responded to my poll said they could live with losing their office cubicles, but would rather not. Only one person said they'd consider leaving their job if they lost all sense of physical barrier from the intruding world. While you may not like it or yet embrace the benefits, personal space at many work places seems to be shrinking while collaborative space expands. Better get used to it.

© by Andrea Kay