Welcome to Life in the Cube

Change is supposed to be a good thing. Just ask the baby with a loaded diaper. I don't mind change as long as it's loose and causes cans to fall out of the soda machine. But a recent change in my work environment unleashed a surprising sea of emotion.

A misunderstanding led me to believe I needed to move out of my cozy little office at the back of the building into a cubicle next to the lobby. I had been in my office for 10 of the nearly 20 years I've been at my job. It became somewhat of a sanctuary when office politics became overwhelming or when certain coworkers became unbearable. Now my office was needed as a small conference room, which is what it used to be before I moved in.

Trying to be the obedient worker drone I said yes when my boss asked me to make the move. A few days later, she informed me that it was "just a question" and not a directive. Funny how one message comes out of one person's mouth and enters another person's ear completely different.

This happened at a particularly challenging time when the inability to meet deadlines on the part of others became emergencies on my part. Bogged down with work, I was unable to really think about moving out of my office. The enormity of this change hit me when I got out of a meeting one morning and the entire contents of my office were now placed in the cubicle. The lack of privacy and sense of loss hit me hard. As one sympathetic friend said, "Welcome to Life in the Cube!"

Day One in the Cube

Trying to look on the bright side. More square footage allows me to spread my stuff out. There's nothing like having a place for 20 years of accumulated stuff. Wait! Where the hell is my stapler? I move 20 feet from my office to the Cube and I lose a stapler? What happened to that manila envelope I need to take to a meeting tonight? Aaargh.

Day Two in the Cube

Attempted to participate in a webinar without real walls and a door. Distractions abound! People talking on all sides of my Cube. Foot traffic in and out of my boss's door. Got to put on the headphones. Dang! Volume is redlining and I can still hear all the noise. Frustration sets in and I log out of webinar. Good thing I bought the downloads so I can watch later. In an enclosed space.

Day Three in the Cube

Requested an additional panel to block distracting foot traffic passing my Cube on the way to boss's door. Unfortunately, the Cube panels are not high enough to prevent my taller coworkers from peeking over at me like an army of "Killroy Was Here" characters. (Now there's a Google-worthy 1970s reference!)

Day Four in the Cube

Talking to business associate on phone. Suddenly the entire staff gathers in the lobby, whispering. Looks like they're getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to big boss. What? He's not in his office? Must be in the men's room, which is right next to my Cube. I hear shuffling around and muted giggles. Suddenly 15 questionable warblers burst into song as big boss exits the men's room. This effectively ends my phone conversation. (Insert heavy sigh here.)

By the end of the work week, I was emotionally drained. It surprised me how moving from one space to another could affect me so deeply. I've had challenges in life before and either handled them well or completely fell apart. For the sake of my sanity and because I am a woman of faith, I resolved to believe that God has a plan for me that doesn't include four walls and a door. Why should I complain about where in the office I do my job when I am blessed to actually have a job? And though a misunderstanding with my boss precipitated this move, she is still an awesome boss. So with the Lord by my side and a steady supply of dark chocolate, I will embrace my new life in the Cube. Just know that if you peek over my Cube panels, you do so at your own risk.