OBOT Member Blog Post
The technology, innovation, bureaucracy, and policies that shape our daily lives were developed in an office somewhere. And that office probably included cubicles.
In their heyday, cubicles supported hierarchical, structured workplaces where jobs had clear boundaries and departments stayed in their lanes. Acres of panels reflected this order and reinforced the work happening inside them. The cafeteria was for eating, meetings happened in conference rooms, and paper was king.
But the way we work has changed – and it’s fascinating to see how that evolution has reshaped our physical spaces.
As jobs became more interconnected and specialists from different disciplines needed to work together to create new products, the workplace had to change too. Ideas needed to move faster. People needed to share, test, and iterate together. So, we began augmenting cubicles with collaboration spaces, lounge seating, the occasional slide, casual Fridays, and a ping pong table tucked into the cafeteria.
And it worked.
People got to know – and trust – each other. They became comfortable sharing unfinished ideas and taking risks together. Innovation thrived. It was time for the walls to come down.
And come down they did.
Panel heights dropped. Personal space shrank. Privacy dwindled. Quiet became a scarce resource, and employees competed for a place to focus – until organizations realized that something had been lost. Research began to show that choice and control over where and how people worked were essential in dense, dynamic environments. Even the cafeteria evolved, becoming a multipurpose hub for work, learning, and social connection.
Then we were all sent home.
Home to dining room tables, unstable technology, and a collision of work and life. Careers stalled. Community faded. Informal learning disappeared. While innovation didn’t stop entirely, it slowed – and for many of us, something fundamental was missing. Eventually, we created routines and processes that supported parts of our work, but most people don’t thrive in isolation. We need other people.
Now, several years into our return to the office, the best workplaces are evolving again – this time to support a more nuanced balance of hybrid work, lifework integration, and the realities of what businesses need to grow.
The workspace now plays a decisive role in whether people want to come in at all.
Today’s offices are being designed with a variety of work settings – places to focus, collaborate, learn, and connect – all supported by the technology and amenities that enable productivity and human interaction. The best of these spaces are also beautiful, incorporating residential comfort and natural elements. The work café has become the heart of the office, and the line between work and enjoyment continues to blur.
And sometimes, all of this still means the need for a few cubicles.