Goodbye office space? The shrinking American cubicle (employed, employers, paycheck)

[kattwoman2]

Originally Posted by ♪♫♪♪♫♫♪♥

I've found another employer where I'll be repeatedly applying around graduation time.

LOL! I was thinking the same thing, except it's not really in my field, so that company is all yours . I wonder how many others will start applying to that company b/c of the article.

[kattwoman2]

Originally Posted by CampingMom

They must have been talking to my boss. I lost the desk I was working at-the girl who was in the military is back and she got her old desk back. I am relegated to a folding table-with a chair. Along with a computer where none of the permissions work and no phone line. Oh yeah I do medical collections so phone work and the computer are what I need to do my job. I couldn't do 3/4's of it for the last two days. Imagine working at a small card table and you have what I have-oh and the bonus of sitting 2 feet from the lunch table too. Sigh.

Hmmm...have you ever seen "Office Space"? I think you would appreciate the guy whose stapler was stolen even more than most of us on here. I won't give away the ending, but for some reason your situation reminds me of what happened to that guy whose stapler was taken. In order to coerce him to stop showing up to work, they kept moving his desk to worse and worse locations. Also, the boss stole his favorite stapler and they stopped paying him. They would try to ignore the guy when he kept asking about the paycheck and stapler. It's been a while since I've seen the film, but your situation brings those scenes to mind.

[FinkieMcGee]

I'm a pretty big fan of the open floor plan. I've always felt kind of trapped when I'm in a cube or an office and it opens people up so that we actually discuss stuff. We had slightly open cubes with whiteboard walls a year ago and we decided to get rid of them in favor of a completely open space.

[CampingMom]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Haven't you only been there a few months? It sounds like they're getting ready to let you go.

Did you know when you got hired that you were replacing someone who was deployed?

Sorry, that doesn't sound like a good set up.

Yeah I have been there just over 3 months. And I wasn't hired to replace her at all. They created another position for the sleep lab billing department-she worked in the CPAP billing department. There are two of us who now don't have desks. The one owner retired at the end of Dec. He was to have taken care of all this before he left. Well the office manager they hired won't get off her duff and take care of these issues. She says, the desks were delayed by the weather-where are they coming from Timbucktoo? They are balking at the $800 it's going to cost to get two phone lines in. The other person in the same boat was hired because she's Spanish speaking for customer service. She's been at any desk that's open(people out sick) since the day she started-they even told her on the first day she came-to go home they had no where for her-come back the following week.

And no they aren't letting me go that I know of. I've cleared up unresolved claims like no one else. I started there were 600 outstanding claims that weren't paid-I've got it down to 186. Not bad for 3 months-the girl I work under didn't even try to get it straightened out-she let them build up. She's skating on the thin ice-he's told her in front of the entire staff-she's going to be looking for something else if her work doesn't pick up.

It's a three ring circus. And until another job is offered-I am literally stuck in this hole.

[JetJockey]

At the last place I worked, we had a whole room filled with cubicles... probably around 40 total. The only problem? There were about 7 employees. So to decrease 'chit chat' they had us spread all across the room. We weren't allowed to play music (or have headphones for that matter) and the distance prevented us from talking to each other.

It was horrible.

[Mystique13]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

At the last place I worked, we had a whole room filled with cubicles... probably around 40 total. The only problem? There were about 7 employees. So to decrease 'chit chat' they had us spread all across the room. We weren't allowed to play music (or have headphones for that matter) and the distance prevented us from talking to each other.

It was horrible.

sounds absolutely miserable, like working for corporate nazis. I would not have lasted at such a place as you describe it. They must hate people (misanthropes.)

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by CampingMom

Yeah I have been there just over 3 months. And I wasn't hired to replace her at all. They created another position for the sleep lab billing department-she worked in the CPAP billing department. There are two of us who now don't have desks. The one owner retired at the end of Dec. He was to have taken care of all this before he left. Well the office manager they hired won't get off her duff and take care of these issues. She says, the desks were delayed by the weather-where are they coming from Timbucktoo? They are balking at the $800 it's going to cost to get two phone lines in. The other person in the same boat was hired because she's Spanish speaking for customer service. She's been at any desk that's open(people out sick) since the day she started-they even told her on the first day she came-to go home they had no where for her-come back the following week.

And no they aren't letting me go that I know of. I've cleared up unresolved claims like no one else. I started there were 600 outstanding claims that weren't paid-I've got it down to 186. Not bad for 3 months-the girl I work under didn't even try to get it straightened out-she let them build up. She's skating on the thin ice-he's told her in front of the entire staff-she's going to be looking for something else if her work doesn't pick up.

It's a three ring circus. And until another job is offered-I am literally stuck in this hole.

Well good to know the desks are on the way.

If you haven't seen it take Kattwoman's suggestion and rent "Office Space" it is very funny.

Anyone who has ever worked in corporate America can relate to it.

[CampingMom]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Well good to know the desks are on the way.

If you haven't seen it take Kattwoman's suggestion and rent "Office Space" it is very funny.

Anyone who has ever worked in corporate America can relate to it.

I've seen bits and pieces of it. My kids have rented it a few times. From what I've seen-I can relate too.

And the desks didn't arrive again. Nothing like having two computers, two people, monitors and two phone lines on a folding table. They added the other person today. Sigh.

[manderly6]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

At the last place I worked, we had a whole room filled with cubicles... probably around 40 total. The only problem? There were about 7 employees. So to decrease 'chit chat' they had us spread all across the room. We weren't allowed to play music (or have headphones for that matter) and the distance prevented us from talking to each other.

It was horrible.

The funny thing is some people would love that.

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

At the last place I worked, we had a whole room filled with cubicles... probably around 40 total. The only problem? There were about 7 employees. So to decrease 'chit chat' they had us spread all across the room. We weren't allowed to play music (or have headphones for that matter) and the distance prevented us from talking to each other.

It was horrible.

I'm guessing that they probably also restricted your internet access so you couldn't chat on Facebook or City-Data or whatever throughout the day and wouldn't let you make lengthy personal phone calls either. How horrible that they expect time spent at work to be doing actual work.

That said, I agree it sounds a bit excessive. But at the same time, I can understand why some companies do come down heavy-handed in situations like this - usually because they have found that having more lax standards cut into productivity due to people taking advantage of a more relaxed environment.