What is the big deal about a corner office?

Because they have windows?

I think it has to do with having a better view. A corner office with windows to two sides of the building.

You have more windows, and thus more light and a better view. And since it’s such a coveted spot, you can then use it to prove your status.

When you are forty stories up in a glass skyscraper, among a bunch of other skyscrapers, and you stand in the corner and have about a 270 degree view of the city…

…you feel like a master of the universe.

I know from visiting friends, clients and business acquaintances, I am not, in fact, a master of the universe

@jaytkay But are you master of your domain?~

See above. More natural light. Better view. Basic stuff that we all secretly would like to experience.

@chyna No spelling mistakes, so I must be typing with two hands!

Yup, two windows.

If I had a corner office I would have the urge to jump…

cubicle please

Because s/he’s the boss. A lot of people want to be the boss. They mistakenly think it’s easy. A lot of people don’t read their Shakespeare: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

@aprilsimnel I’m glad for those, but I guarantee you that here isn’t enough money in the world to ever get me to be a boss. I even told them to stop offering me promotions.

Office status is moving out of a cube into an office with a door you can close, and then up the ladder to both a door and windows.

The interesting thing is that there couldn’t be a worse thing to do than putting managers in corner offices. Managers need to be in the middle of everyone, so it is easy to talk to them. People can see them regularly and exchange information easily and form impromptu meetings which is where real work gets done. Formal meetings are generally considered a huge waste of time.

Managers are there to help others solve problems. If you’re hiding in a corner office, it makes it hard for people to visit you, both because of the physical barriers and also because of the mental barriers.

But symbols of status win out over actual productivity.

I had the corner office. Sure, nice view, but I got sick of having birds slam into my window. Daily bird deaths, not good for my productivity. I asked for a different office.

A corner is usually bigger, twice the size or more. And the windows wrap around. It makes a HUGE difference when you have to spend 8 hours a day in it . . . the size and the natural light.

Same reason why people want the corner lot in a subdivision…..size does matter.

Windows matter if you work in an office. Have to have a window and two is even better.

At my last job, I was promoted and given a jumbo office on the top floor (6th) with two massive twelve-foot high windows overlooking one of the swankiest streets in Boston.

I said, “great, but what about my team of (5) people?”.

“Oh, they’ll still be back in the old cubicles”. I did not like this but the president insisted I take the promotion implying that if I didn’t, I’d be considered disloyal.

So I took the gig and that weekend, went in (with my tools), took all tge furniture out of my new office and moved my team’s cubicles into my office.

The president was not happy, but, he let it stand – and we all enjoyed the view.

@cprevite Not taking a promotion is disloyal? Man, I may never understand the office workers world. These are all very interesting replies.

It’s the symbolism in the United States. It represents status. This differs from country to country. A more important factor in Germany is the walking distance from the parking space to the entrance door and whether the parking space features a license plate or not. The number of characters on a license plate is important too. In the Frankfurt area for example it would be something like F – LY 1

@mattbrowne That reminds me of the drug company I interned with when I was in high school. They knew I was pre-med and told me I should think about working for them when I finished my degree. They told me I would get a “really good parking spot,” among other things. :-)

@Dr_Dredd – Well, they must have greatly valued your expertise!

@mattbrowne I was in high school! Not much expertise… I think they were just trying to “plant a seed.”

But it felt good anyway.

Yes, @Dr_Dredd, you should feel honored. They saw the potential in you ;-)

@Dr_Dredd American companies will always use “close to the door” carrot because they know we Americans are lazy and don’t care to walk or stand a foot or a moment longer than we have to. ;-)