Escape Cubicle Despair: Chic Décor for Your Office Cell
It is not easy being an employee -- especially when the majority of employee's days are confined within the drab synthetic walls of their oppressively teensy cubicle. Muted colours and artificial fabrics -- while they are conducive to a professional atmosphere – can inadvertently and subconsciously mute the vitality and creativity of workers. That is why it is very important for business owners to encourage staff to embrace their cubicles as three walled canvases ripe for personal expression.
Kelley Moore is the author of Cube Chic: Take Your Office Space from Drab to Fab! The style guru has plenty of insight into the importance of fabulous office environments, “You spend more time in your cubicle than you do at home. If you design your space in a creative way that inspires you, it will inspire you to be more productive,” she writes.
With forty-plus hour work weeks, Moore is definitely on to something. Take for instance real life worker Adam Ryan, who is the Editor-and-Chief of Supply Chain Digital magazine. While Ryan has an important and fancy job, his glamorous lifestyle does not escape the monotonous drone of full-time cubicle confinement. Ryan explains the morose nature of his workspace reality, “Cubicles can be a pretty demoralizing place to spend eight hours of your life every day. And staring at the glare of a computer screen sure doesn't help.”
However, Ryan has applied his stylistic insight, and nostalgic love of tradition, to transform his would be despair into a workspace wonderland, “[In my cubicle] I like to surround myself with things that remind me I'm a human being - like a few treasured old books, and a flower, and a picture of my beautiful wife. Makes the day go by faster," he optimistically informs us.
While Ryan’s cubicle adjustments are simple, they are nonetheless weighty, as they create the illusion that he is working at home, surrounded by his cherished companions and possessions. It is this cosy, homey feeling that makes employees comfortable enough to really apply their creativity. This increase in creativity can only benefit your business, as you can get more bang for your buck when employees feel creatively inspired.
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However, some workers need a bigger dose of style to combat their workman fatigue. For the escapist worker, Dreamcubicle.com offers cubicle wallpaper made to look like outlandishly exotic scenes including a Hawaiian vacation, an underwater aquarium, and outer space.
The materially ambitious employee may desire working in the lap of luxury, especially between the hours of nine to five. In such case, follow the lead of famed cubicle owner Jared Nielsen’s executive cubicle. Outfitted with a cherry hardwood floor, red mahogany luxury paneling, a carved desk, and a plush office chair, Nielsen’s cubicle evokes the prestige of Thorngrove Manor, all in a ten by ten office space.
Here are some quick advice tips for those looking for immediate improvement enhanced to the third power:
1. Colour your walls. Brightly coloured fabric or cardboard is cheap, and brightens the severity of your small space.
2. Plantify. Incorporate plants, or like Ryan, a fresh flower, to add some living vibrancy to your space.
3. Recarpet. Not the whole building. However, a throw rug can add a soft dimension that can be very soothing come deadline crunch time.
4. Have a theme. An identifiable theme can keep your mind focused, and won’t distract from your neighbor's work flow.
5. Be considerate. Flashing disco balls and blinding aluminum may look epic, but HR won’t look kindly on inflicting your fellow co-workers with migraines or epileptic seizures.
Cheers! Best of luck, and happy cubing!
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