- Robert Propst designed the cubicle in 1968. His first design had numerous shelves to increase productivity of workers by having work materials close at hand. He named his design the "Action Office" because he believed his layout allowed employees to achieve more action in less time. Increasing office productivity was Propst's goal in designing the cubicle.
- Office furniture can be depreciated for tax purposes over a period of 7 years. Permanent structures can be depreciated over a period longer than 30 years. For this reason, many companies choose to populate their offices with cubicles, thereby saving on taxes. However, worker productivity should also be a consideration. While a worker who doesn't need interaction with other workers during the course of a normal workday will not suffer a loss of productivity, many workers are part of a team, and the team concept of workers suffers when employees are isolated in cubicles.
- The cubicle functions as an office workspace. Depending on its size, the cubicle can also be a small meeting space, enough for two or three people. Although most cubicles are designed with one chair in its floor plan, extra chairs in the cubicle area can be wheeled for a meeting. In this way, a cubicle can make for productive meetings that are closer to a worker's work output. For example, a designer can show plans on a computer monitor and make changes based on comments made by coworkers.
- If a cubicle is isolated and relatively inaccessible, workers can use the isolation to do activities that are not work related. This is especially true when cubicle computers are Internet enabled. While a computer monitor is visible to all in an open office area, the monitor can be hidden from general view when in a cubicle.
- By combining cubicle space with open area work spaces, companies can take advantage of the tax benefits of cubicles and generate increased productivity through teamwork. Cubicle doorways that directly face the open area work space may make employees feel like part of the team.
