Some suggestions for Thriving in a Cubicle Environment

I was thinking lately about how some office situations can be really decent, where others are like running a cheese grater over your brain day after day. The jobs may be similar, but one makes you dread going, and one makes you look forward to going to work.

Here is what has made working in an office fantastic for me, and should be strived for in all offices:

No-drama bosses. They are the best. Crazy people should never be bosses. I am working for some really cool people right now who are all business and no drama. I can't stress enough how great this is for my office morale and how much more I want to do well for them.

Office friendships and a culture of non-gossip amongst co-workers. Office gossip can be such a killer of joy in going to work. I have avoided getting to know people who even seem like they are gossipy, because it so often turns negative and cruel and someone ends up crying in the bathroom. I prefer it isn't me.

Laughter. Offices where people are encouraged be creative about making each other laugh make work much more enjoyable, and fosters a feeling of creative expression which just might lead to the next big idea. Pass that joke around, post a silly picture for everyone to caption. Make it a contest, make some area of the office fun, like in the break room, or by the coffee machine.
Creating a new Lettermanesque Top Ten list every week from suggestions posted by the coffee machine is also a lot of fun. If people are up for it, start brainstorming sessions with improv games and listening exercises.


This is my wish list for making working in a cubicle situation even less trying;

I would like an option to put a stationary bicycle in the cube for powering all my computer equipment in a manner that makes me motivated to exercise and less in need of walking around every hour or so in order to keep blood from pooling in my butt and legs. It's green, I really think that I would be more productive with this set up, and svelter too.

It would be really nice to have, in an office where no one is allergic, some office cats to lounge around and do cat things like sleeping and purring and occasionally providing some distractions by just being furry, gorgeous, and in need of petting. This will lead to folks being less stressed and less focused on only their own selves.

Vending machines should be outlawed, or only stocked with things that one would only eat if truly hungry, like packets of oatmeal, plain veggies and fruit. No dip.

Coffee makers should be self cleaning, so it isn't left to chance if someone will get grossed out before the coffee turns out terminally skunky and the machine corrodes.

A nap room for 10 minute naps after eating lunch when needed.

Mac environment. PC sucks. Just sayin',

Kooks and Teabags and Fox, oh my.

If anyone is in doubt that the "Tea Party" stuff going on tomorrow is not a totally Fox News manufactured event, take a look at any other news outlet and notice the lack of 'coverage.' On Fox, they are calling for a 'grass roots' uprising, with celebrities, about every 3 minutes if not more. Everywhere else--crickets. Actual news items.

I certainly hope that no Timothy McVeigh types don't take it into their minds to do something to hurt others tomorrow in the name of protesting "the obamanation." I also hope that in the best possible way, the teabaggers just get to have their protests and everyone else just ignores them or makes fun of them without being belligerent.

I will probably just go about my boring job, and read about it later. I don't get into "news" organizations organizing crazy people for manufactured "historical" anti-intellectual corporate driven protests.

One thing I can breathe easy about now Fox "News" has started up FoxNation.com were the articles and blogging are a strident and whiny slant to the far right wing of crazy.

My fascination with people I have absolutely no political commonality with is insatiable. It boarders on unhealthy, but I am not trolling the sites, no. I respectfully read and ponder what would have to happen to a person to believe some of the tripe I have read. Some of the conservative thinking is sound, and I agree with a lot of things, especially fiscally (pre-Bush II), though I don't think anyone has it right when it comes to fixing what 8 years of the Bush administration and rampant greed of financial institutions has wrought. I don't have any answers either, so I hope the Obama administration has it mostly right because I don't know what should happen.

It is easy to try to anthropomorphize the giant US Economy--it needs to stop spending and cutting down on its expenses, tighten its belt, stop spending borrowed money. Tear up its credit cards. Stop buying expensive shoes and make do with last year's wardrobe. Spend more time at home, live simpler.

But the US government is responsible for the livelihoods of an entire global village, and if it does not spend money close to what it was, people suffer and shops close down. And that effects all the villages around it. There are things that only it can provide, because it is the richest guy in town.

It is all very weird to me. I can't begin to think I know any answer.