If you've worked in office cubicles over the years, you might think either you are getting larger or the cubicle is getting smaller. Odds are it's the latter. Since modern cubicles were first introduced into offices into the late 1960s, evolving workforce culture has steadily diminished their size. You're no longer working on the bulky computer monitor common in the 1990s. Your flat-screen computer and the variety of wireless devices don't need much space. By 2010, the average office worker’s space had gone from 90 square feet in 1994 to 75 square feet, Time magazine reports.
If your company plans an office redesign, it's likely that new cubicles will measure 6 feet wide by 6 feet deep -- that's 36 square feet -- or maybe less -- perhaps only 5 feet by 5 feet, or a mere 25 square feet. Cubicles are generally sold in pods of six or more. While the smaller cubicle gives you less elbow room, it's better for the environment. Less space improves an office's carbon footprint. While the average office worker might have less room in which to work, that's not true at the executive level. Time magazine reports that executive work spaces have actually grown -- but these employees are probably not working in cubicles.
