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I think this hard separation between work areas and social areas in an office would eliminate a lot of the social advantages of the office. Who wants to be see
by shawnz 6y ago
I think this hard separation between work areas and social areas in an office would eliminate a lot of the social advantages of the office.
Who wants to be seen as the one always in the social area not working while on the clock? Plus, who would consciously choose to get their socialization from work instead of their personal friends? I think office socialization has to be coincidental or it just won't happen at all.
I think that model works better in university settings because the students have such disjoint schedules, they need those amenities to keep students occupied between classes.
- metafunctor 6y agoI am not a proponent for hard separation either; I would prefer to have a sofa and a coffee machine and white board in my room and have colleagues stroll in when the door is open. It would not always be open, though. That "appearing as not working while on the clock" is, to me, a foreign fear, and not something I've ever really experienced at the places I've worked in. I know that I (and the teams I've been part of) have been plenty productive without pressure to put in the hours. I think that a culture of putting in the hours would have been counterproductive, in fact. My work has not been flipping burgers, but designing and creating complex systems. It doesn't work out that well under time pressure.