Office cubicles available now at 247 Workspace
Office cubicles have been with us for sometime. As a matter of fact, the first office cubicle was designed in 60’s. The cubicle was not born evil, or even square. It began, in fact, as a beautiful vision. And home-furnishings company Herman Miller in Zeeland, Mich., launched the Action Office.

The office cubicle creator
Inventor Robert Propst set out to revolutionize the American office. He succeeded with his 1968 design for furniture manufacture Herman Miller called Action Office.

Propst, who passed away in 2000, ran Herman Miller's research division for many years and helped the company evolve from an upscale home furnishing manufacturer into one of the nation's leading industrial design firms.

In 1964, Propst and architect George Nelson unveiled an early prototype of Action Office. The concept, a set of freestanding units intended to act as room dividers in large, open office spaces, didn't catch on.

But Propst refused to give up and used this first attempt, with its frost file bin and slanted vinyl desktop as a building block for what would eventually become Action Office. The new system included plenty of work surfaces and display shelves; partitions were a part of it, intended to provide privacy and places to pin up works in process. The Action Office even included varying desk levels to enable employees to work part of the time standing up, thereby encouraging blood flow and staving off exhaustion.

First commercial installation, 1969
Propst continued to search for a modern and flexible workplace design. Four years after Action Office 1 was released, Propst and Herman Miller unveiled the second iteration of the design.

The new version combined a desk, cabinets, and various components into one system, making it the first open-plan modular unit cubicle office furniture in the country. Propst's new design promised to increase employee productivity and improve working conditions for mid-level employees.

The 1968 release was well received, helping Herman Miller reach $25 million in corporate sales over the next two years. The American workplace would never be the same.

Economics was the one thing Propst had failed to take into account. But it was also what triggered the cubicle's runaway success. Around the time the Action Office was born, a growing breed of white-collar workers, whose job titles fell between secretary and boss, was swelling the workforce. Also, real estate prices were rising, as was the cost of reconfiguring office buildings, making the physical office a drag on the corporate budget.

What is the most important part about having a good workstation?
The office cubicle should let the worker sit and carry out their duties in comfort while allowing for voluntary changes in the working position.

There are three contact areas in the work space that affect the worker's posture: the seat, the work surface (commonly it is a desk top or keyboard) and the floor. To ensure the most comfortable posture possible, two of these factors have to be adjustable.

If you can afford to do nothing else, a fully adjustable chair is the undisputable "must". The other, and perhaps the most preferable option, would be a fully adjustable desk. However the price of such a desk may not make this option practical. Another effective (and cheaper) option is to use an adjustable chair and footrest to secure postural comfort.

We are still strong on Cubicles
AO2 Cubicles are still a hot seller in the market. Many companies have stepped in and taken the lead from the original designers of office cubicles. Prices have come down dramatically. In addition to AO2, we have Maispace office cubicles and Eurospace office cubicles. Shop online today for one of the best online selections of cubicles in the country.

Call us today for a free no obligation quote at 866-959-3200. In no time at all we will have your office looking great. 247 Workspace….making a positive impact on today’s workplace.