Working and lurking in the shadows

There was a time, not long ago, when natural light was viewed as a resource to be shared among staff. In deliberating the wisdom behind office cubicle orientation, it was decided to maximize the amount of natural light by keeping shorter panels near the windows and allowing taller panels to only be placed perpendicular to the glass. Such an arrangement allows people further from the windows to also get a glimpse of daylight - when it happens.

The taller panels of supervisor stations, because of the confidential things they sometimes contain, were to be placed further from the windows and thereby not prevent natural light from flowing on others. The additional size of the cubicle was intended to offset the distance from the windows.

These days, there are people that should know better placing tall panels right up against windows and endowing themselves with more square feet than to which they are normally entitled. Standards were developed for the benefit of all staff but now, deviation is the norm.

It seems utterly self-serving to reconfigure a space with no other regard than to create a little bunker within which a person can hide their addiction to Solitaire and hot rod magazines. If a supervisor knew their staff a bit better, they would know that such a cubicle transformation will only cause a greater wedge to develop. But then staff development and good relations are not a high priority these days.