For many otherwise happy workers, the cubicle has become the bane of modern work life. Although they give the illusion of privacy, they are easily penetrated by your cube mates’ conversations. Not only is a lack of cube etiquette often a problem, but spending most of your workday sitting stationary can make you feel like all your muscle mass has seeped into your ergonomic chair. With cube colonies multiplying in today’s office landscape, how is a cubist to cope?

Cube etiquette

Anyone who has resided in cube land knows how difficult it is to work while trying to block out co-workers’ conversations. Mary Risher, a photo editor and cube dweller for the last 10 years, says, “There is always someone around me who doesn’t quite get that if they can hear me, I can hear them. I am forever overhearing tiffs and weird bodily functions. I’ve been reduced to wearing earplugs so I can concentrate. Even then, someone’s voice manages to cut through and fill my brain with the latest diet trends and personal information that I have no business hearing.”

These complaints are common, says Hilka Klinkenberg, founder of Etiquette International, a firm specialising in business etiquette. In a cube environment, professional etiquette must be elevated to a higher standard than in a traditional office because of the proximity of workers. Klinkenberg gives these guidelines to make your office cube-friendly:

Give your cube mates a sense of control over their space. Knock on cube walls before speaking. Ask permission to enter instead of assuming you can barge in.

Don’t loiter among the cubes. Your conversations float among people trying to make phone calls, read and write documents.

Realise that odours know no boundaries. Your lunch, although appetising to you, may make someone else’s stomach turn. If you eat at your desk, take your trash out.

In general, be more aware of what you are saying and how loudly. Assume everyone within a four-cube radius is going to hear you. If you need to discuss a sensitive matter, try to find a private area.

Cube atrophy

Another common complaint is the feeling they are getting “cube body” as they become one with their chairs. What kind of effect does long-term sitting have on your body? Mary Ann Pavlides, a registered nurse and massage therapist, says her clients who sit for an extended period of time often have these repercussions:

• Lower-back strain due to poor posture from being seated too long.

• Upper-back strain from scrunching your neck and shoulder together while talking on the phone.

• Shortened pectoral muscles from leaning into a desk to type on a computer.

• Sluggish circulation in legs from prolonged inactivity.

Cube bliss

Even if your cube mates are a bunch of loud, annoying etiquette Neanderthals and your boss thinks ergonomic chairs are for wimps, achieving cube nirvana is still possible. Angela Holton, a communications administrator and resident of Cubeland for 11 years, says happiness requires a “bloom where you’ve planted” philosophy. “I keep lots of framed photographs on my desk of friends and favourite places I’ve visited,” she says. “I am also referred to as the ‘plant lady’ because of all the greenery at my desk. I receive many compliments that my cube is so comfortable that it has inspired others to make changes in their cubes, too.”