People still seem to assume that big businesses don’t listen to the little guy. That’s changing with the advent of social media. Huge cubicle manufacturing and design firms like Herman Miller have teams working hard to scour the internet for the latest industry news to share with their loyal blog readers. This level of online involvement gives HM the opportunity to discover all kinds of attitudes that folks have developed regarding the company’s brand and products. This week, the topic generating much discussion is a satirical post on McSweenys.net.

Ms. Jennifer DiOrio took a swipe at Herman Miller’s iconic Action Office cubicle system in a section on the McSweeny website called “Open Letters to People or Entities Who Are Unlikely to Respond”. DiOrio’s sarcasm-laced virtual epistle (which incorrectly named Mr. Miller as the inventor of the cubicle) prompted a reply post on the Discover blog site. “Assistant to the Assistant” Randall Braaksma took the time to dole out a measured and good humored response.

It’s a great chance to jump into the conversation about how workplace culture can impact whether cubicles are seen as a boon or a burden. Don’t forget to leave your comments here too!

Jen over at Arnolds Furniture has collected a series of photos depicting the “5 filthiest office cubes in the world”. It’s a harrowing sight, so only click through if you have a strong stomach. Jen categorizes the behaviors evident in the disarray of each cubicle. There’s the Hoarder who can’t let go of anything – no matter how useless – and the Stacker who thinks junk alignment equals neatness. Perhaps the most disturbing is the over-decorator who covers every square inch of panel space with photos and newspaper clippings.

If you have employees who can’t seem to pull themselves out of the spiral of chaos that makes their cubicle look like a disaster zone, what can you do? You don’t want to establish a policy that would punish workers who occasionally leave a file folder lying on their desk or want to display one neatly framed photo of their child. At the same time, having one-on-one conversations with messy employees is always awkward. You feel like you’re the Mom telling a teenager to clean his room.

Tips for Controlling Mess

Decide what results you want to achieve. Then put fair and reasonable rules in place that ensure all employees meet that minimum requirement.

• In areas of the office that are frequently seen by clients, workstations should be close to spotless at all times to make a good impression. This means no food or non-work items at the desk except for approved decorations and all files and paperwork kept in closed office storage areas instead of on the desktop. Invest in storage towers to house employees’ personal effects.

• Keeping mess to a minimum might be about creating a well organized environment for the sake of other employees. Then, you might just have a rule that every desk top has to be cleared off at the end of each day (with the exception of one inbox and one outbox). Provide mobile storage pedestals or under-desk filing drawers for each cubicle to promote neatness.

• If you are staging an intervention because a worker’s horrible cube habits have you a little freaked out, you might institute a CYDF (clean your desk Friday) regimen to start things off slow. Just be careful to phrase this so it doesn’t sound like you are firing the worker. Starting a conversation about cubicle cleanliness with “I want you to clear out your desk on Friday” would be a little cruel.