This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Jennifer Moore, 43, from Salt Lake City, about her experience working in different office spaces. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I was a summer intern with a small desk in a hallway when my career began in 2003.
There was another intern who had her own cubicle with high walls that kind of looked like a mini office. I really loved my makeshift workspace, but I’ll be honest — I was jealous. It was like I was an afterthought.
I’ve spent 10 years in financial services, where I worked in everything from high-walled cubicles to open office floor plans to eventually having my very own office. I also spent 10 years in B2B tech and software-as-a-service companies, where there’s nothing but open office plans.
Cubicles are good for deep work and privacy, but they can be isolating
I’ve found that the true cube farm — with four high walls and a doorway — can be really helpful for deep work and conducting short one-on-ones.
I think privacy is another pro. In 2006, when I was working at Wells Fargo, I received an email telling me someone I was very close to in high school had died. I remember having a very loud reaction. My co-workers heard me but didn’t necessarily see me burst into tears. It was a blessing to have a bit more privacy at that moment.
The cons of cubicles is that they were somewhat isolating. There was no sunlight. The executives and leaders all got these fantastic offices that had windows, so you could tell immediately who the head honchos were.
Courtesy of Jennifer Moore.
Having my own office was depressing and soul-crushing
Having your own office is associated with prestige and privacy, but my first experience of this was horrible.
In 2015, I thought I had arrived. I had officially made it into product management at a financial services company and was given my very own office with a door. I had a furniture budget and everything, but I was absolutely miserable.
There was no natural light, only dim fluorescent lights, so I’d try to get out in the sunlight every day. There wasn’t any foot traffic passing by my area because it was in a weird corner. It was isolating — I could go an entire day and not see or talk to a soul if I wanted to.
It was really depressing and soul-crushing.
One thing I would say is, at the time, I was doing some physical therapy, and it was really nice to be able to shut the door and close the shade on my tiny window so I could do stretches in complete privacy.
I learned that the overall workplace environment is more important to me than whether I had achieved having my own office.
You can say you believe in teamwork and collaboration but if you haven’t designed an office space that encourages this, people are going to struggle to embrace it daily.
I think open-office plans are the clear winner, as they allow for different types of work
After I left my previous company in December 2023, I decided to focus full-time on my own consulting business.
Courtesy of Jennifer Moore.
I work in a coworking space for a company I consult for. It has an open floor plan with several conference rooms, telephone booths, and seating areas.
I think open office plans are the clear winner in a modern workplace, but their weaknesses should be augmented by using aspects of cubicle design that allow for areas of privacy and for different types of work.
Managers still need privacy. In a place where I worked recently, an executive would regularly conduct all their one-on-ones in the open seating area, and several people commented how awkward it was to hear highly personal information being discussed on a daily basis.
In open-floor plans, you can find spaces for deep work, collaboration, and large and small meetings. They can have soundproof booths in a hallway for privacy. Cubicles take up so much real estate, making it hard to create these options.
Another pro of open floor plans is natural light. I’ve noticed that in newer buildings, everyone has access to sunlight, rather than just the senior and executive leaders in their offices.
