The Golden Rules of Office Cubicles

Written by
Kyle Sherman
Published on
September 9, 2021 at 8:00:00 AM PDT September 9, 2021 at 8:00:00 AM PDTth, September 9, 2021 at 8:00:00 AM PDT

You’re following the Golden Rules of Cubicles … Right?

● No personal grooming

● No taking shoes off or undressing

● No making lunch

● No saving food for later

● No excessive decorating

● No online shopping

● No checking dating sites

● No talking too loud or cursing

● No emotional outbursts or talking to yourself

● No sleeping on the job


Right. Well, then.


The inventor of the office cubicle once calls the typical American work office as “the daily scene of unfulfilled intentions and failed effort,” a “wasteland that saps vitality, blocks talent and frustrates accomplishment.” Little does furniture designer Robert Propst ever imagine, back in the 1960’s, that his “cubicle” would still be in use today.


In 1985, Mr. Propst’s Action Office is considered the most successful office design of the last 25 years. In 1998, an estimated 40 million Americans are working in 42 different versions of his Action Office-designed work spaces. His vision for the way office workers could be productive endures:


● Workers need autonomy and independence

● Office space should be flexible to fit any given need

● Workers need to stand as often as they sit

● Offices should encourage “meaningful traffic” among workers


Offices have evolved from noisy places where managers have more space than junior staff, privacy is hard to come by and a productive work ethic is hindered by a myriad of distractions to open, freeform spaces where employees work wherever they want or in a personal work space. Yes, the ubiquitous office cubicle survives. A home away from home, your office cubicle is, well – yours. If you treat your cubicle with respect, you’re likely going to be taken seriously in the workplace.


Create Custom Engraved and Color Printed Cubicle Office Plates at PlaqueMaker

Stylize your cubicle wall with a custom nameplate from PlaqueMaker.com. They are crafted from aluminum in a variety of colors, sizes and depths to accommodate wall thickness. Each cubicle plate can be personalized with unlimited text and one picture, clip art or logo. Use our unique online design tools to design it yourself, or you can upload your artwork and our graphic design specialists will design it for you.