INTEL'S OFFICES will see some experimental changes to its cubicle culture, according to a Wired bog.

An early adopter of the warehouse office model of those acres of bland, fabric panel sided, undifferentiated cells known as cubicles, Intel has long professed pride in the egalitarianism of its cube farms' miserable working conditions. But that might change, at least a bit, soon.

Having been sent up for its expanses of soulless work boxes by TV comedian Conan O'Brien last April, Intel will try out two new policies in an attempt to at least somewhat mitigate the isolation and lack of communication that afflicts cubicle dwellers.

The new policies are called "Zero Email Friday" and "Quiet Time" on Tuesday mornings. The first doesn't exactly ban email, but is meant to encourage actually talking with coworkers instead of using email. The second is intended to reduce the distractions of interruptions for half a day each week.

In a recent interview, Intel CEO Paul Otellini recognized a systemic behavioural problem fostered by Intel's cubicle culture, criticizing "the fact that engineers two cubicles apart send an e-mail rather than get up and talk. The whole nature of sitting down and hashing out ideas and collaborating is a bit stymied by the construct of the cubicles."

You'd think Intel shouldn't have needed to wait for a dose of late night TV snarkiness from Conan O'Brien. The popular Dilbert comic strip has thoroughly deconstructed the spiritual oppressions and productivity destroying dysfunctions of cubicle bound workers over the past ten years or more. µ

L'INQ
Wired