The argument that companies choose open-plan offices to save money is silly. They are fully aware that even a simplistic productivity model combined with easy t

The argument that companies choose open-plan offices to save money is silly. They are fully aware that even a simplistic productivity model combined with easy to estimate productivity losses out of high base salaries nets out to a loss, not even counting other sources of loss like low morale, hindered collaboration due to distractions, etc. It’s comical to suggest medium or large corporations aren’t modeling and measuring these effects. The true losses are likely even higher and this is easy to see using the types of productivity and cost models that many companies already use. Besides, the amount saved per head in real estate terms is tiny compared to other budget concerns in a lot of companies, or even opulent indulgences (I once worked for a company that took all ~300 employees plus up to 5 additional friends or family per person on a 4-day ski trip, with all transportation, lift tickets, rentals, food, hotel and child care paid for by the company). Even for huge headcount firms, the savings is not that significant. And obvious counter-examples like Stack Overflow just immediately refute this line of excuses. I am so saddened that as a community, engineers and developers have bought these paper thin excuses for abjectly terrible physical work conditions and don’t negotiate harder to prevent it. It’s very clearly not chosen for cost savings. That’s just the excuse because plainly admitting that it’s for status signalling and indulging fashion is not a defensible reason for damaging morale and productivity.