I worked in an open-environment office 8 or 10 years ago. It was a complete and total nightmare, and it led to massive workplace dissatisfaction amongst a very unhappy workforce. It is disheartening to see this trend being pushed so hard by “design” firms with a clear financial interest in getting companies to pay them to create these allegedly more “innovative” and “collaborative” environments.

Many of the points have already been made, but I’ll reiterate them from my own experience … the worst problem was the noise, followed very closely by constant visual distractions. Nor was the noise a result of excessive personal calls … continuous work-related conversations can be just as disruptive to another person’s ability to concentrate on his or her own job.

Collaboration is frequently heralded as the reason to switch to this sort of office arrangement, but I believe this supposed benefit is vastly over-predicted and over-rated. The people at my company who needed to work with one another had already been doing so before the change, meeting in one another’s cubicles or using larger conference rooms when needed for bigger meetings. This didn’t change with the workplace redesign. The only thing that changed was that the “in-cubicle” meetings became much noisier and more disruptive to workers around them. Interruptions were constant. As a writer, I desperately need quiet to focus … but with the redesign, I found my computer on a desk top sitting catty-corner to those of three other people. One of these listened to loud rock music through his headphones 8 to 10 hours a day, and sitting where I was (just a few feet away), I endured a constant low-grade buzz and beat (as well as the visual distraction of his head bobbing in time). I often found myself six or seven hours into the day with barely a dent made in the work I needed to get done and almost in tears from frustration … between the constant interruptions and distractions, I found myself having to take home work every day and work another three or four hours into the wee hours.

The demand on conference rooms was enormous … and not just for meetings; employees desperate for a quiet space to concentrate on their work signed up for even a half hour here or there wherever they could. This led to even more impromptu “collaborative” meetings in the open space. It was a vicious, unending cycle.

Another issue that I rarely see mentioned at all, but which was a very big problem for me and a number of others, was a constant, visceral feeling of unease and unhappiness stemming from being constantly visually “exposed.” If you are the sort of person who feels most comfortable sitting with your back to the nearest wall and facing into a crowded room, you know what I’m talking about … you’re sure to feel a constant, nerve-jangling distress if your new workspace places you in the middle of a very open room. It’s an exhausting kind of claustrophobia … the sort of stressful feeling I most associate with waiting at a crowded airport gate for several hours, sitting cheek to jowl with equally stressed strangers. In the end, the working environment made me so miserable that I had to quit.

I’m at a loss to explain how corporate execs can imagine this sort of environment is in any way conducive to collaboration, innovation, or efficiency. It is worth noting that in the case of the company where I experienced this setup, the execs who made the decision to design this “open” and “collaborative” workspace all maintained private offices (with doors and walls) for themselves. I think that pretty much says it all.

Cheers,

Keith

It is interesting to witness. We’re a professional consulting firm w/ a laid back atmosphere. Many are so quiet on the phone that its actually more silent then it may have been in the past. On the other hand, there are certain times in the day when it gets pretty busy and people are joking all around the office. The company also bought bose head-sets for everyone so they could listen to music during the day.

My point is: I think the jury is still out on whether or not it creates more productivity and I’m sure it depends on the type of business you run. Regardless, it does create some fun times.

I think it ironic that this is taking place in IT-related companies. These companies have high proportions of folks with Asperger’s in them, and to many Aspers: an environment like this would be hell.

A question: who actually would like to work in an environment like this- not folks who think people should work in an environment like this, but people who would actually prefer it?
I assume there are a number, and I would guess they are predominantly younger and extroverted.

Cheers,
Keith

The recruitment industry seems to operate on this myth that people need endless noise & distractions in order to stay motivated & to achieve more. But in these type of offices, the exact opposite occurs. We all know how poisonous negative employee’s morale can be to the team. Well guess what? When you are constantly exposed to them every minute of your work day – you are a sitting duck. Who wonders why at the end of each day why they didn’t achieve as much as they expected & vows to make up for it tomorrow, and then the next day & the next.

I’ve personally seen corporate IT departments try to mix Agile/Scrum methods using an open room (XP programming style). They wind up having more failed iterations.

But this idea of a communal works space spawning creativity and increased productivity has been implemented for decades and as ALWAYS it’s been the exact opposite.

IT candidates want to telecommute. Having to drive into work every day pounding out code in large room of other programmers is a very hard “sale” and it makes for a LOT of turnover.

Recruiters – Please tell your manager to never have this type of recruiting environment. You need to develop relationships with candidates and the candidate needs to feel like they are talking to a recruiter NOT a CALL center or a Telemarketer. Plus, you want to be happy.

Cheers,

Keith

Another way we’ve found to foster collaboration and creativity is to have staff move desks. Here are a few advantages: http://pastfive.typepad.com/pastfive/2012/04/increase-employee-moral-move-their-desks.html