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I've worked in both environments. Honestly, the best environment, IMO, is working from home -- office is second. Shared office spaces are a distant fourth. I

I've worked in both environments. Honestly, the best environment, IMO, is working from home -- office is second. Shared office spaces are a distant fourth. I'm the type of person who needs a lot of solitude at some times, and at other times, I love to blast music, pace, juggle, and gorge on chips. When I need the solitude, when I'm in the zone, I don't want you taking a call from your gf, or deciding with some other guys in the office where to eat lunch. Likewise, I may need to spend 12 hours doing nothing that looks productive. Just kind of thinking as I listen to music and do something mindless like pay bills. I feel like at even the most liberal of open floor plan offices I've felt inhibited if I spent a day or two doing what looks like screwing around. And don't get me started on pair programming.

RK 16y ago
I've done it both ways and had different experiences depending on the job. Right now I work about 85% from home. I enjoy going to my (shared) office, but I tend to spend way to much time helping my officemates on their problems when I'm there (can be good or bad). At the startup where I used to work, we had a shared open space. I was doing some coding, but mostly running long simulations, so I had a lot of down time. In that case, distractions were not an issue. My job before that I had my own office, name on the door, view, etc. BUT my project members were on a different floor, which I couldn't actually go to (defense company). That was the main instance when I wish I had a shared office.
X-Istence 16y ago
I guess I am lucky, I can spend some time looking like I am screwing around or doing mundane tasks so long as I get my work done on time.
- geedee77 16y ago
  This is the exact opposite to me. I spend my full day working, hit (or better) all deadlines, come in about 2 hours early and I still get grief from the big boss for leaving on-time!

RK 16y ago

I've done it both ways and had different experiences depending on the job. Right now I work about 85% from home. I enjoy going to my (shared) office, but I tend to spend way to much time helping my officemates on their problems when I'm there (can be good or bad). At the startup where I used to work, we had a shared open space. I was doing some coding, but mostly running long simulations, so I had a lot of down time. In that case, distractions were not an issue. My job before that I had my own office, name on the door, view, etc. BUT my project members were on a different floor, which I couldn't actually go to (defense company). That was the main instance when I wish I had a shared office.

X-Istence 16y ago

I guess I am lucky, I can spend some time looking like I am screwing around or doing mundane tasks so long as I get my work done on time.

geedee77 16y ago
This is the exact opposite to me. I spend my full day working, hit (or better) all deadlines, come in about 2 hours early and I still get grief from the big boss for leaving on-time!