Re:Meta Rediscovers the Cubicle
by rjh29 on Sunday March 12, 2023 @07:24AM
(#35118853)
Why can't FAANG companies use their budget to make cubicles with sound proofing and a closable door behind you? Similar to Japanese manga cafe booths. All the advantages of a private office but you can cram more of them in per square metre. Keep the door open to be social, close it and be fully isolated when you need to concentrate.
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I slept in one of these manga kissa and I remember waking up in the middle of the night and looking at the ceiling and seeing my neighbor's head popping and looking at me from above. I didn't say anything, and he slowly retracted his head when he saw that I was looking straight at him. Didn't prevent me sleeping because I had ingested alcohol that night, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is typical manga kissa weirdness.
It's not typical. At least the ones I've been to are completely sealed. Sometimes there is a window built into the door, mostly so people can check you're not doing naughty things in there.
Re:Meta Rediscovers the Cubicle
by booleandilemma on Sunday March 12, 2023 @11:01AM
(#35120806)
Oh, Japan...
Yeah. Maybe this is beyond HN but I wanted to try VR porn back when VR headsets weren't a thing so I rented one. You literally pay like $5 for the booth and have free reign over renting a few DVDs from their 10k+ DVD collection, plus a vending machine than dispenses lube and sex toys, and unlimited videos in VR. The booth itself was totally sealed in and sound proof. The whole facility is open 24 hours. Having small cramped houses creates a need for this sort of business I guess!
I hope they have good ventilation and air conditioning
Re:Meta Rediscovers the Cubicle
by adhesive_wombat on Sunday March 12, 2023 @07:50AM
(#35119038)
My university library had these. Big enough for 2 or 3 people to co-operate, small enough to use solo in quiet times without being a egregious space hog, and translucent acoustic panels that went from about 6 inches from the floor to about 2.5 metres (easy to see occupancy without being a fish-bowl).
That sounds like hell. People need sunlight to live.
The solution is not cubicles, or even closed offices. Just open offices with ~1/3 of the regular density of people per square metre would be good. It also gets you the promised "seamless collaboration" of open offices.
Cubicles are already a thing, my suggestion just allows you to close the door when you need to focus. I personally don't need sunlight though, or any kind of view, maybe other people are different. That's one of the great things about the remote work boom, if you want to have a work environment full of natural sunlight, you can just work from home!