Talk about personalised space! We like to call family members, places, acquisitions and other things as our own and tend to mark our territory which is not limited to home — we also mark our workplaces.

Employed in a company, organisation or multinational corporation (MNC), an employee becomes part of a larger family or groups of people working for, more or less, the same cause. It’s only fair to say that a certain level of uniformity appears among the employees working in the same place. On a broader note, one can easily assess whether someone is a doctor, a businessman, government official or a salesman after speaking with them for just a few minutes and observing their attitudes.

Keeping this perspective in view, a cubicle provides an employee a certain sense of independence. It provides almost every employee, regardless of his position in the hierarchy, an opportunity to personalise the place according to his or her wishes but within certain understood and obvious limits of course.

Tahir, a supervisor in the accounts and finance industry, says that his cubicle somewhat represents him and his personality. “It is what I like to convey to others at work. My cubicle is always neat and organised. I intentionally put up quotes and short stories that might be irrelevant to work but enjoyable for everyone. Before going home, I gather my papers and place the files in order. Even, when leaving on short notice I try to tidy up things before I go.”

Dr Jabeen, a manager in a pharmaceutical firm, shares Tahir’s views. Famous for her cubicles wherever she works, Dr Jabeen says that she always wanted her work space to be unique. “I consciously try to make it beautiful and distinct with my sketches, paintings, stuffed toys, mugs and plants.”

Colourfully attractive and tastefully decorated, it always catches the eye of the people passing by. “My intention is to create a pleasant and comfortable place for myself as I spend a major part of my day at the office. It is difficult for me to work in a dull environment. The vibrant colours motivate me and I think they have the same effect on others, too,” she shares.

Fareed, a government official, finds those who think of their cubicle as a reflection and representation of their personality quite silly. “I come to work, get my salary and leave. Where do I find time for all this?” he wonders.

His car, room, wardrobe and home are all spick and span as opposed to his cubicle. “Obviously, I live there. Here, my bosses are not paying me to keep my cubicle neat and tidy. They are paying me for my output only. When I leave, I do not touch a thing. I just try to find my car keys from the stuff, separate my mobile phone from the charger and leave.” It’s no wonder he is notorious for his messy desk and for losing documents every now and then.

On the contrary, Haider, a software engineer, is very circumspect. When leaving his workplace, he makes sure to collect each and everything off his workstation and lock all the drawers. “I never leave behind any valuables in office and absolutely nothing on my desk. At my previous employer’s, one of my colleagues’ mobile phone and cash was stolen from his drawer. I am no one to judge others, but then, why should I put the character of others to test? Isn’t it better, this way?” he questions.

Most of the people from the older generation are not that familiar with the concepts of turnover, switching companies and even job rotation like that in today’s work environment. They have a concept of company loyalty and serving the same company for decades, enjoying every bit of it. People like them consider their offices as a second home and their cubicles as their personal rooms.

For some people, their cubicle might mean everything. Being attached to this routine, for such a long time, makes it even harder for them to let go at the time of retirement or termination of services. Working at the same table for years, these employees decorate it with different awards they have earned like the ‘Employee of the Youth’ award or certificates, family and company-related photographs and even personal souvenirs collected at different stages of their career depicting one’s achievement.

One way or the other, a cubicle or workstation is a representation of your self. Not only does it represent your personality, it also speaks volumes about you and your overall attitude towards life. It also portrays the employee-company relationship as a satisfied employee is more likely to promote his company via his workstation. Some companies have a special budget for calendars, day-planners, year-planners and other desktop stuff with company logo or brand. So it would be better if you start fixing up your work space/cubicle from now on. But only after completing your tasks as that is your primary responsibility. Otherwise you might be endorsing what Nobel Prize laureate American writer William Faulkner famously said, “A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a workstation ...!”