Dilbert Had It Right: The Office Cube Is Much Too Square

Just when you thought it was safe to personalize your office cubicle, now comes word that one of Dilbert’s favorite targets may be headed for the dustbin.

While stopping short of predicting the immediate demise of cubicles, office furniture manufacturers say the trend is away from cubes and toward an arrangement that more closely resembles a honeycomb.

Two factors are driving the change, according to manufacturers gathered at a recent industry trade show in Chicago.

In today’s high-tech office environment, connectivity is crucial, and the traditional cube layout isn’t as easy to wire and rewire as other options.

“Technology has changed the manner in which offices are organized. The one-size-fits-all mode doesn’t work anymore. Companies need to reorganize over and over again,” said Christopher Kennedy, executive vice president of Merchandise Mart Properties.

Also, office culture has changed over the past few years and the change favors clusters that can be taken down and moved on a moment’s notice.

One other factor for the change is that cubicles just aren’t hip anymore, furniture executives say, which could be a detriment for companies trying to attract young, highly skilled workers in today’s tight labor market.

Panel sounds off about hearing loss

It doesn’t attract much attention, but noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious problem in the workplace. According to the National Institutes of Health, NIHL caused by occupational noise is a major industrial disease affecting up to 20 million American workers.

U.S corporations currently spend some $6 billion a year on hearing-related screening and treatment. Several recent studies estimate that up to 40 percent of workplace injuries are related to hearing impairments.

Now, a panel of hearing experts has proposed new guidelines to help minimize those problems. The recommendations include: adopting new hearing test technology to screen employees, adopting hearing protection technology that also enhances communication and promoting hearing education and awareness.

Bosses get lost in meeting madness

Executives waste an average of 7.8 hours a week, or 2.3 months a year, in needless formal discussions.

That’s the conclusion drawn from a survey of 150 executives by Menlo Park, Calif.-based Accountemps, a temporary staffing service.

The response indicates the situation has worsened since a similar survey in 1990, when average lost time was pegged at 6.0 hours a week, or 1.8 months a year.