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.

We've been having all kind of office drama too. I wouldn't even care, except my former officemate has been playing games to ensure that she doesn't have to share an office with anyone. And I DON'T CARE -- she's been there for years and she does have seniority. It's the underhanded, bitchy ways involved.

Cute. IT got back to me about making the VPN work. When I asked Wednesday. And prompted again at 7:30 this morning. Offering to call and walk me through. At 3:55 on a Friday.

Yeah, no.

I am kinda glad for your annoyance, sarameg, because it prompted your post. BECAUSE I FORGOT IT WAS FRIDAY. I am suddenly feeling way better.