Every April 28th is observed as National Cubicle Day. Oddly enough, it’s a day that celebrates the cubicles that many office employees work in nowadays. Even though some offices have moved to an open office model, many still maintain cubicles as a way to provide their employees with their own personal working space.

Yes, the partitioned enclosed workspace has received a certain amount of disrespect over the years; however, some employees actually prefer their cubicles to the open office design. With that being said, it will be interesting to see just how many people celebrate this holiday when it comes up on their calendar.

The History of National Cubicle Day

The modern cubicle can trace the origins of its name to ancient Rome. It comes from the Latin word “cubiculum,” which means bedchamber. The word was first used in English during the 15th century to describe small study spaces.

During the 19th century, the term was then used to describe enclosures for circuit breakers and electrical switchgears. It wouldn’t be until the 20th century, however, that the word would be used to describe the piece of office furniture that we know today. That’s because the modern office cubicle wasn’t invented until then.

The first cubicle was invented by Robert Propst of the home-furnishings company known as Herman Miller. He invented the cubicle to improve upon the open office that was common at the time. He felt that the cubicle design eliminated distractions and gave the employee a more personal sense of privacy.

It also allowed workers to spread their work out before them. At first, the cubicle flopped, but then Herman Miller designed a cheaper model that eventually became popular. What really made this piece of office furniture popular was the change in the tax code by the U.S. government during the 1960s.

The tax code stated that furniture, which of course included cubicles, could be written off as a tax deduction due to depreciation in 7 years. This resulted in more businesses investing in cubicles, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This holiday was observed for the first time in 2014 or 2015, although we do not know who created it or why it was created. We’ll continue to try to research the origins of this holiday, but until we do, we must make do with the information that we currently have.

Observing National Cubicle Day

National Cubicle Day is a holiday that no one really asked for but everyone received. Even so, it can be observed in a number of ways. People can use the day to decorate their cubicles, learn more about cubicles, or spread the news about this holiday online using the hashtag #NationalCubicleDay.