4 ms·
I think part of the problem is that (in my experience) open offices actually do boost productivity somewhat, but only when the office is a small 2-5 person pod.
by chomp 7y ago
I think part of the problem is that (in my experience) open offices actually do boost productivity somewhat, but only when the office is a small 2-5 person pod. I lose productivity when I get dropped in a huge floor of people chatting and talking about things not related to what I'm working on.
- mey 7y agoA pod is a lot different than an open office from my experience. Since the only background noise is your team and your problems, while distracting it at least it's focused on things you care about. Open offices you get bled over from everything. Made worse by the modern industrial design that hates noise insulation.
- dtech 7y agoI wouldn't call that an open office though, just a team room. A shared space is fine with <5 people, can become problematic at 5-10 people and the frequently 20+ large floor spaces are just unworkable without noise cancelling headphones.
- tempguy9999 7y agoAgreed, it's just a small room with people in it. BTDT. I worked in london in an open plan office maybe 40ft wide and getting on 200 ft long. That's open plan. It's fine except for the noise. It's always the noise as the problem, all else is ok. (edit: not a single company, a collection of small and medium businesses)
- toyg 7y ago> It's fine except for the noise. And the utter lack of privacy. Want to tell your colleague that Alex is a dick? Better do it in another building, or the entire office will hear it.
- tempguy9999 7y agoIt's probably best not to use such language at work or one may be labelled a dick oneself. Keep it polite and any complaints formal.
- Aeolun 7y agoDon’t worry. Alex knows everyone thinks he’s a dick.
- SteveMoody73 7y agoI work in an open office with about 30 people in it and find it unbarable on times. I have some good noise cancelling headphones that help sometimes but I can't wear them for too long a period before they start getting uncomfortable.
- joezydeco 7y agoNoise cancelling headphones do absolutely nothing when you put a loud talker next to one. They can't absorb speech. The other problem is people trying to do Skype or other conferencing calls while wearing closed-can headphones. Their own speech level rises two notches when they can't hear their own voice. Try it for yourself and see.
- Doxin 7y agoHonestly skype et al should probably detect if you're using headphones and turn on direct feedback if you are. It makes not only a stark difference for how loud you speak, but also for how annoying and derailing echo on the connection is.
- Florin_Andrei 7y agoAlso depends on the team.
- WorldMaker 7y agoAnd the type of job. Some jobs require a lot of immediate/high-bandwidth cross-communication between team members. Not all do.
- Ididntdothis 7y ago2-5 person offices are great. Even if you don’t work directly together you can have meaningful relaxed conversation where you can actually learn something about each other. Open office seems to be designed for people who like to yell at each other or who isolate themselves completely via headphones. I have almost never seen any meaningful collaboration in large open office. It always happens in smaller more intimate spaces.