Bullpen Cubicles

Bullpen cubicles have been in use far longer than the standard cubicles you find in most office environments. Although they have been criticized for lack of privacy, these workstations do still have valid uses in the workplace. In fact, for employees who work in teams toward common goals, a bullpen layout might work best.

What are bullpen cubicles?

These workstations are different from most of what you see today, mostly because they do not consist of single cubicles separated by partitions. Instead, they are groups of desks – usually two or three – with small, often see-through partitions between the work areas. They’re usually larger than call center cubicles and can have both shared and individual workspaces.

A bullpen cubicle can be made out of the same material as traditional cubes, but is more frequently constructed of a see-through hard plastic. Since it‘s not as large as a traditional cubicle, there is limited space for storage, and most areas can be reached while sitting in a desk chair. Bullpen cubicles offer simple construction and space-saving design.

You’ll also find that a bullpen cubicle can be arranged in a circle pattern rather than in a straight line. This is beneficial for groups of four to five employees who must work together on a shared project. Rather than placing everyone in a row, desks are situated in an open-circle format for easier communication.

Why use bullpens?

There are several ways that a business can effectively use bullpen cubicles. One primary focus is to train new employees. Since two or more people are sharing the same work space with no partitions, new employees can ask questions without having to interrupt a veteran employee.

They also can be used effectively for team-based work where one employee's work builds on someone else's. Collaboration is made easier since each employee can see the other's work area and it helps facilitate communication. The downside is that bullpens limits privacy as your group works in a completely open space.

Bullpen cubicles also can be useful as a reference area. For example, if employees don’t all have access to computers, they can work in their workspace and then head to the bullpen to send e-mails or look up inventory numbers. Similarly, bullpen computers may be connected to the office intranet while individual employee computers are not.

Whatever the case, a cubicle bullpen can save space in your office and help promote teamwork. The important thing to consider is what your employees will be doing on a daily basis so you can determine whether bullpens are the best format for maximum productivity.

To get free price quotes for bullpen cubicles and other systems furniture, use BuyerZone’s free request for cubicle quotes service.