When choosing to go with cubicles as your office fallback, it’s important to think about the kind of working environment you are trying to engender with your new cubicle installation.
Is your office full of creative types who work together as a team to complete tasks and brainstorm ideas? A low cubicle height of around 42 inches might be all that is needed to move away from “benching” and allow each person their own space while still leaving room for plenty of back and forth without standing. Low cubicles are inexpensive, flexible when it comes to moving employees around or adding new members to the team, and can be quickly adapted with a cubicle height extender if needed later to make a more private space.
A middle height of 53 inches is appropriate for a busy office where some interaction is needed but everyone has their own responsibilities. You can still stand up and catch your neighbor’s attention, but when you are sitting you have a modicum of privacy and the ability to conduct your work without too much getting in your way, assuming the tasks you have to complete don’t require razor focused attention to detail that could be disrupted by a greeting or question.
If you have primarily workers who fly solo, doing cold calls, data entry and so on, higher cubicles up to 65 or even 80 inches high may be a better choice. Sound baffling or white noise can be used to help tune out the sharper notes of conversation, allowing each worker to concentrate on his or her task without undue distraction. This layout can lead to workers feeling boxed in, so consider making their footprint and desk slightly larger to compensate for the loss of overhead freedom.
Finally, a blended environment may work best for some offices that have workers with needs all over the spectrum. Shorter cubicles in a team area blended with high walls to create almost secluded offices for key personnel may be the ideal solution for your office space. Play around with different floor-plans and you are sure to come up with a cubicle installation solution customized to your specific needs.
