How do I Choose the Best Cubicle Layout?

The best cubicle layout depends on a number of factors, including the organizational structure, the number of employees, and the amount of space in a given office. Cubicles are areas or work spaces where employees sit. Each employee is generally assigned to a given cubicle and remains there while he does his daily work. Choosing the best cubicle layout thus involves selecting where each employee would be most productive within the office environment.

The first important factor in choosing the appropriate cubicle layout for a company is to determine how much space the company has for cubicles. Take into account the number of cubicles that must fit within a given size space. Also take into account the need for walkways and other spaces such as break rooms or lunch rooms. After you determine how many cubicles you need and how much space you have, you can then determine the appropriate size for each cubicle. Cubicles can be uniform in size, or larger cubicles can be ordered for employees with more seniority or who more space to do their jobs. It is also important to ensure that the cubicle size will be comfortable for the staff. If the cubicles are too small, employees might get claustrophobic.

After the size and number of cubicles has been determined, it is important to determine how the employees should be organized. It may make sense to have all employees that serve a given function within the office sitting close to each other. For example, sales staff should be seated together while accounting staff should be seated together. Also take account of which employees need quiet to do their jobs and which employees are likely to be louder, talking on the telephone to customers or doing other tasks that necessitate more noise. It would not be a sensible cubicle layout, for example, to place computer programmers who need silence to concentrate next to sales staff that are likely to be making outgoing calls all day.

Once you have decided how employees are to be grouped, design a sample cubicle layout on a piece of paper or using a computer program. Account for sizing, walking patterns and other factors. Review your sample layout to identify any potential problems before arranging the actual cubicles into the layout you have selected for your office.