Current Events > Do you work in an open office space? Do you think it helps or hinders work?

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://swiftkickhq.com/the-failed-promise-of-open-office-spaces/

"Harvard professor, Ethan Bernstein, dug into the research behind the War on Walls craze. He found the data to be less than promising. He found that face-to-face communication actually DECREASED 70% because co-workers opted to communicate via email and IM instead of verbally talking to a co-worker.

The promise of open office spaces was to bring people closer to each other in hopes of increased collaboration and collective intelligence. Access to technology has proven the opposite, however, as co-workers communicate more often via a screen versus in person, even when sitting near each other. Electronic communication actually increased 20-50% with open office spaces. Professor Bernsteins study found that, removing spatial boundaries can decrease collaboration and collective intelligence."

An interesting piece I found about open office spaces. I haven't seen it so much in my industry (higher education), but I've heard this is becoming more common in the corporate world. Is this true?
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It's more common in the IT/engineering world. My current office has some open office aspects to it. Our building is basically one big room. Our engineers have long tables where they sit side by side, some of us have big open cubicles, there are a few offices and conference rooms peppered along the walls.

I think fully open office layouts are horrible but integrating some ideas into the standard workspace to create a hybrid situation is a wonderful idea.
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Here's the dirty little secret behind cubicles, open areas, bullpens: the people in charge don't give a single fuck about how well the employees work in their settings, all they care about is how expensive the lease is per square foot.

They would shove you into a fucking storage closet if they could get away with it.

i was having this convo with a consultant recently, he said that a lot of companies he worked for have the open layout and what ends up happening is that everyone puts on headphones so they can have some sort of isolation/privacy and people end up IMing each other instead of interacting face to face
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clearaflagrantj posted...

They would shove you into a fucking storage closet if they could get away with it.

Don't remind me of the day they shoved the two of us in IT into one. Had room for one desk and two chairs. Everything else had to get stored in the server room.
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clearaflagrantj posted...

Here's the dirty little secret behind cubicles, open areas, bullpens: the people in charge don't give a single fuck about how well the employees work in their settings, all they care about is how expensive the lease is per square foot.

They would shove you into a fucking storage closet if they could get away with it.

Funnily enough, my entire department (billing) is in a (former) storage closet. We're talking 8 people
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Every instance I've heard of a company going to open layouts has failed catastrophically. People need their own spaces to retreat to sometimes. The best compromise tends to be lab space where teams work in open spaces, but everyone still has a cube/office to return to. Of course that takes more real estate, so you don't see it very often.
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s0nicfan posted...

People need their own spaces to retreat to sometimes.

With many companies, the higher ups tend to distrust their workforce, so the open floorplans tend to be so they can keep an eye on everyone and snoop on them at their leisure.
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Romulox28 posted...

i was having this convo with a consultant recently, he said that a lot of companies he worked for have the open layout and what ends up happening is that everyone puts on headphones so they can have some sort of isolation/privacy and people end up IMing each other instead of interacting face to face

This is exactly what happens. lol
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I thankfully have my own office. Hate open office work spaces.
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The only time an open office ever worked was when the area was incredibly large because we'd meet with clients and need the space to talk.

So I'm guessing that managers don't share in the "open office" space? Or do they still get their cushy offices in the corner?
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I work in a relatively open office. There are walls here and there, but typically each department sits in desks that aren't walled off from each other.
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I've worked at two places previously with an open office space. One of these places was a huge company

I hated it with a passion and I asked many co-workers about their opinion on it. Literally all of them except one said that they either hated it or were indifferent to it, although I got the feeling that many of the indifferent ones would probably still prefer normal cubes. So it's always puzzled me as to why companies seem to be moving in the open area direction. However, not too long ago I read that apparently it might help companies save money due to taking up less space. So then it all makes sense at that point.

I'm glad that now I have my own office where I can shut the door and have 100% privacy.

Romulox28 posted...

i was having this convo with a consultant recently, he said that a lot of companies he worked for have the open layout and what ends up happening is that everyone puts on headphones so they can have some sort of isolation/privacy and people end up IMing each other instead of interacting face to face

Yeah I noticed this too
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CableZL posted...

I work in a relatively open office. There are walls here and there, but typically each department sits in desks that aren't walled off from each other.

Does it bother people to not be able to have a conversation without everyone hearing what you have to say?

That's what bothers me the most about the idea.
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I hate open offices. I have had a private office for a good portion of my career. I am an introvert so giving me my own room to feel safe in where I can collect myself for a moment makes me go out of my office and talk with lots of people. I don't have an office anymore so when I'm at my desk now I put on headphones and keep my head down and ignore everything around me.
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Zanzenburger posted...

CableZL posted...

I work in a relatively open office. There are walls here and there, but typically each department sits in desks that aren't walled off from each other.

Does it bother people to not be able to have a conversation without everyone hearing what you have to say?

That's what bothers me the most about the idea.

Our corporate office actually has white noise playing in the background, so it's actually a bit difficult to hear other people's conversations at normal levels unless you're sitting relatively close.

I had forgotten about the white noise thing until I bought some noise canceling headphones and heard the difference with them on/off.
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Meanwhile, a hundred years ago...
https://www.officemuseum.com/Home_Office_Building_Mass_Mutual_Life_Ins_Co_Springfield_MA_OM.jpg

Is that what we really want?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Meanwhile, a hundred years ago...
https://www.officemuseum.com/Home_Office_Building_Mass_Mutual_Life_Ins_Co_Springfield_MA_OM.jpg

Is that what we really want?

Kinda feels like we are moving back towards that tbqh
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CableZL posted...

Zanzenburger posted...

CableZL posted...

I work in a relatively open office. There are walls here and there, but typically each department sits in desks that aren't walled off from each other.

Does it bother people to not be able to have a conversation without everyone hearing what you have to say?

That's what bothers me the most about the idea.

Our corporate office actually has white noise playing in the background, so it's actually a bit difficult to hear other people's conversations at normal levels unless you're sitting relatively close.

I had forgotten about the white noise thing until I bought some noise canceling headphones and heard the difference with them on/off.

Same. One time the intercoms with the white noise went down and it felt uncomfortably quiet in the office.
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