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Why office cubicles are making a comeback

There's a lot to not like about open-plan spaces — there's nowhere to hang your stuff, nowhere to have a sensitive conversation and nowhere to focus without overhearing colleagues' blabbering

More executives are asking for two workstations for themselves: one that's exposed and accessible by rank-and-file employees and another that's secluded for small meetings or calls
More executives are asking for two workstations for themselves: one that's exposed and accessible by rank-and-file employees and another that's secluded for small meetings or calls Photo: Getty Images

Anyone who's traded their pre-pandemic skinny jeans for looser, 1990s-style pants knows the joy of a little more room. Now workers craving extra space are spurring the revival of two more vintage staples: cubicles and private offices. With doors that shut!

Lots of people always hated the "open" office layout designed to foster collaboration. There's nowhere to hang your stuff, nowhere to have a sensitive conversation and nowhere to focus without overhearing colleagues' blabbering. Plus, several studies indicate that the supposed benefits of togetherness and transparency are overrated.

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