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>the comment I was replying to missed TFA, because it gives pointers to research on the issue. The research[1] that various journalists in Washington Post, Har

by jasode 10y ago

>the comment I was replying to missed TFA, because it gives pointers to research on the issue. The research[1] that various journalists in Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, WSJ, etc are pointing to is a survey of employees' satisfaction levels and not an analysis comparing business results. If that oft-cited survey is the best ammunition we have, it won't move the needle towards private offices. What we need is business evidence of private offices enabling productivity levels superior to everyone else with open offices. [1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494413000340 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494413...

coldtea 10y ago
There are countless researches on the importance of focus and the impact of distractions. E.g.: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2005.pdf http://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2005.pdf Or: "In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day. He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana. "This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness."
- Ensorceled 10y ago
  Right. That is the kind of data people like Mark Z need which was the point of the original comment. You are disagreeing with people who may not actually disagree with you (I know I think open concept offices are terrible for most purposes).
jrs235 10y ago
If employees aren't happy they are more likely to leave. That's a more measurable cost and problem open offices have. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13419444 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13419444

by jasode 10y ago

coldtea 10y ago

There are countless researches on the importance of focus and the impact of distractions. E.g.: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2005.pdf http://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2005.pdf Or: "In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day. He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana. "This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness."

Ensorceled 10y ago
Right. That is the kind of data people like Mark Z need which was the point of the original comment. You are disagreeing with people who may not actually disagree with you (I know I think open concept offices are terrible for most purposes).

jrs235 10y ago

If employees aren't happy they are more likely to leave. That's a more measurable cost and problem open offices have. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13419444 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13419444