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The thing I don’t get is why go to work for privacy when I can get that at home in my own office? I am interested to see how work habits change and evolve. For

The thing I don’t get is why go to work for privacy when I can get that at home in my own office? I am interested to see how work habits change and evolve. For me personally mostly working from home and then heading in to something of an open office with conference rooms is ideal because on the in-office day the only reason for me to be there is peer collaboration anyway so I wouldn’t need an office.

ghaff 4y ago
My impression is that a lot of companies are reconfiguring (and possibly shrinking) space with the aim to make offices more meeting and collaboration spaces rather than individual work spaces. For a lot of companies at this point, having dedicated individual work spaces for most employees doesn't make a lot of sense unless they have specific equipment needs and are going to come in most days.
d_sem 4y ago
Because one wants to have private in person communication. In my experience cubical and closed door office environments maximize communication and collaboration while open concept reduce it. Closed doors are like therapist room - you get to the meaning of topics fast. They allow conflict resolution and discussion. Open concept are like libraries, everyone is silently trying to to disturb each other working. Full of visual and audible distractions. WFH remote meeting have the lowest form of communication bandwidth. It's hard to arbitrage interactions with no visual cues, invites multi-tasking during meetings, and encourages disengagement.
- coldtea 4y ago
  >Because one wants to have private in person communication So, like, if you Zoom'ed?
  - mwest217 4y ago
    Zoom ≠ in person
    - coldtea 4y ago
      Well, it has everything "in person" has except physical precense. Which, unless the meeting is about hanky panky or massage or something, should be just as good for the purposes of technical discussion...
- numpad0 4y ago
  I think open concepts are more akin to cafeteria than libraries. Some people had done great gigs that always came from a table in their University cafeteria, and trying to industrialize that experience.
coldtea 4y ago
>The thing I don’t get is why go to work for privacy when I can get that at home in my own office? Can your manager just disrupt you and micromanage you in person at all times at home? Does it even justify their role in the company when noone can see his subordinates all together in the same space?

ghaff 4y ago

My impression is that a lot of companies are reconfiguring (and possibly shrinking) space with the aim to make offices more meeting and collaboration spaces rather than individual work spaces. For a lot of companies at this point, having dedicated individual work spaces for most employees doesn't make a lot of sense unless they have specific equipment needs and are going to come in most days.

d_sem 4y ago

Because one wants to have private in person communication. In my experience cubical and closed door office environments maximize communication and collaboration while open concept reduce it. Closed doors are like therapist room - you get to the meaning of topics fast. They allow conflict resolution and discussion. Open concept are like libraries, everyone is silently trying to to disturb each other working. Full of visual and audible distractions. WFH remote meeting have the lowest form of communication bandwidth. It's hard to arbitrage interactions with no visual cues, invites multi-tasking during meetings, and encourages disengagement.

coldtea 4y ago
>Because one wants to have private in person communication So, like, if you Zoom'ed?
- mwest217 4y ago
  Zoom ≠ in person
  - coldtea 4y ago
    Well, it has everything "in person" has except physical precense. Which, unless the meeting is about hanky panky or massage or something, should be just as good for the purposes of technical discussion...
numpad0 4y ago
I think open concepts are more akin to cafeteria than libraries. Some people had done great gigs that always came from a table in their University cafeteria, and trying to industrialize that experience.

coldtea 4y ago

>The thing I don’t get is why go to work for privacy when I can get that at home in my own office? Can your manager just disrupt you and micromanage you in person at all times at home? Does it even justify their role in the company when noone can see his subordinates all together in the same space?