Because our school is in an old dorm, pretty much everyone has their own office (not a cubicle) and a window. But people do get weird about the size.

The strangest thing that happened to me was that when we renovated there was a huge to-do about how I couldn't have a certain office (that was next to my student) because it would be "far to large", so I ended up swapping with the higher up person on the other side of my student. Once they created the offices (the student and the one next to it) by breaking up one large office, it ends up that all three offices are within 5" of each other, so we totally didn't need to all move around like crazy. Then, they ended up moving my student office anyway, because after the fact, they decided that her window had too good of a view for a student.

Gris, I'm so sorry.

From watching TV this week, I'd really like someone to go through my closets

I wish I could come do this. I love playing the "go through closets, make new outfits" game with people. (And actually, it's something I need to do myself now that I'm adding long skirts back into the wardrobe mix.)

Getting lunch at 2:30. Grump grump

There are 3 confirmed flu deaths in Vermont.

Also here a local article about the St Johnsbury library staff getting sacked and the protest [link]

Why is measuring success by the size of your office weird? There have got to be a lot of places doing that. And the whole office with a window, corner office, which floor, etc, etc...isn't that what we do, as sapient animals? Organise? And value?

One of the things my company does is try to break people out of this "real estate as reward" mindset. It costs companies a bundle and makes any kind of change - organizational or geographic - much harder and more costly.

Nobody here has proper offices. The folks at the very highest level - and I'm talking about three or four people here - have, in addition to a cube, a smallish glass wall meeting room adjacent. That's it.

Our campus is going through remodling floor by floor away from wall offices to all cubes with relatively low walls. Our group moved into our new space last month and I hate it. I feel like I'm staring at the people who have cubes near me and there is no way to set up my space so I'm facing the opening...I don't like the anxiety of having someone walk up behind me.

The part that cracks me up is that for the sake of privacy, they set up some small office wall office spaces as "quiet spaces". Room for a small meeting or private phone call. There is only one near the mucky-mucks, while us peons have a row of 5 right near us.

msbelle, I have you beat. Just had lunch at 3:45. Could almost count as a really early dinner.

Nobody here has proper offices. The folks at the very highest level - and I'm talking about three or four people here - have, in addition to a cube, a smallish glass wall meeting room adjacent. That's it.

My company switched to an open plan office a couple years ago when we moved into our new space. We don't even have cubes, just big shared tables. So the HR intern and the CEO have exactly the same amount of desk space. We do have a shitload of tiny 4-person conference rooms, but HR is pretty good about not just letting the executives use them as ad-hoc offices.

[eta: Over at Partner Company where I spend most of my time, I do have an office, with a door. It used to be an edit suite so it's a weird size and has no windows.]

people here are so ridiculous about NEEDING offices. spoiled babies. one of the Directors I work for goes on and on and on about how his dept really absolutely needs individual offices with natural light. primadonna. I like to tell him over and over again how in NYC people manage in cubes ALL THE TIME.

in addition, we have these stupidly huge wooden desk systems that are far less efficient about space usage.

One of our fancy departments moved floors recently, and I was fascinated to see that they went from almost all offices to almost all open-plan. Our building was not designed for lots of offices, so their old space was a terrible warren and was ridiculous, but they INSISTED on all the offices. Then they moved and INSISTED on bringing walls down in the new place.