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This is something I've found very weird: there's a sharp difference between the opinions of people I know in person and people online. HN commenters love to ha

by tikhonj 13y ago

This is something I've found very weird: there's a sharp difference between the opinions of people I know in person and people online. HN commenters love to hate open office plans. It's one of the few topics on which they agree with /r/programming! And yet everywhere I've spent time has been in favor of open offices. This includes a few startups, sure, but also an enterprise software company (Guidewire), an academic research lab (Berkeley ParLab) and a quantitative trading firm (Jane Street). In the ParLab, even most professors didn't have dedicated offices--apparently, this makes them more accessible and gets them to talk to their students more. David Patterson, the leader of the lab--with a lot of research experience--talked about how switching to an open layout was a real improvement in the research process. At JSC, both traders and developers share an open space. This makes communication between the two parts of the company much more fluid. The founders of the firm all originally came from another firm where developers and traders were sequestered from each other, and they have found the shared open space to be entirely preferable. Many of the other experienced people I've worked with have also been big fans of open office layouts. And these are some of the most productive organizations I've ever seen--probably some of the best full stop. And yet most online commenters treat it as a given that an open space is completely inferior to real offices. Personally, I'm a big fan of working in a nice open layout. It makes it much easier to talk to other people, even if I don't have a specific problem to solve. This makes work both more pleasant and more efficient because I can get outside input or an extra set of eyes at any point in the development process. Moreover, since I'm similarly helping other people out, I get a good sense of their projects as well. And if I need to concentrate, I can just put on headphones or go to a quiet room. But I much prefer that not to be the default action, only taken when it's needed.

com2kid 13y ago
I wonder how many of those people ever had their own office. If you don't know any better, what you have may seem pretty good. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. For some types of problem solving, a closed space to think for an extended period of time is really useful.
- 6cxs2hd6 13y ago
  > I wonder how many of those people ever had their own office. If you don't know any better, what you have may seem pretty good. Coach never felt cramped until I was back there after the first time flying business class. Spoiled for life. If there is some second transition to travel satori -- where mountains are mountains and coach is no longer cramped -- I haven't attained it yet. For people writing code, there needs to be some way to indicate "I am in the cave, do not disturb unless truly urgent". The most-obvious way is a door that closes. I imagine it can work other ways in other environments.
  - jaredmcateer 13y ago
    I used to have my own office and closing the door just meant people would knock on my door instead of popping their head in. Headphones and setting myself to busy on IM has always been the best way of indicating to someone I was busy.
nilkn 13y ago
While my experience is similar, I can also state that none of my coworkers who have had private offices have ever mentioned or even implied in any way that they'd prefer a desk in an open space.
boomzilla 13y ago
I think the real factor is not open space vs private office, but the ideal working environment is a healthy mix of communication (face to face preferably) to exchange ideas/knowledge/status updates and private space for tasks that requires concentration and focus. Clearly the former would be easier in an open space office, and the latter in a dedicated office. And of course, the right mix differs from one person to another depending on the roles and personal characters. In my experience, I think I am most productive in an open space environment with flexible hours / work from home policy. Availability of conference/quiet rooms is another option.
Symmetry 13y ago
My favorite and least favorite office environments were both open plan, it's all about how tightly you're packed in together, and whether there are side offices for private conversations or phone calls.
mh_yam 13y ago
"And yet everywhere I've spent time has been in favor of open offices" Most office layout decisions are made by upper management--who usually (conveniently) end up with private offices while the rest of the employees are forced to sit in the open area. "And if I need to concentrate, I can just put on headphones or go to a quiet room." The problem is that not all people working in open offices have this option. For example, at my company there is no such thing as a "quiet room." My opinion is that there should be a mix of both. Let people choose.
judk 13y ago
> quiet room You answered your own question. Colleges and your office have libraries or quiet rooms to flee to.

by tikhonj 13y ago

com2kid 13y ago

I wonder how many of those people ever had their own office. If you don't know any better, what you have may seem pretty good. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. For some types of problem solving, a closed space to think for an extended period of time is really useful.

6cxs2hd6 13y ago
> I wonder how many of those people ever had their own office. If you don't know any better, what you have may seem pretty good. Coach never felt cramped until I was back there after the first time flying business class. Spoiled for life. If there is some second transition to travel satori -- where mountains are mountains and coach is no longer cramped -- I haven't attained it yet. For people writing code, there needs to be some way to indicate "I am in the cave, do not disturb unless truly urgent". The most-obvious way is a door that closes. I imagine it can work other ways in other environments.
- jaredmcateer 13y ago
  I used to have my own office and closing the door just meant people would knock on my door instead of popping their head in. Headphones and setting myself to busy on IM has always been the best way of indicating to someone I was busy.

nilkn 13y ago

While my experience is similar, I can also state that none of my coworkers who have had private offices have ever mentioned or even implied in any way that they'd prefer a desk in an open space.

boomzilla 13y ago

I think the real factor is not open space vs private office, but the ideal working environment is a healthy mix of communication (face to face preferably) to exchange ideas/knowledge/status updates and private space for tasks that requires concentration and focus. Clearly the former would be easier in an open space office, and the latter in a dedicated office. And of course, the right mix differs from one person to another depending on the roles and personal characters. In my experience, I think I am most productive in an open space environment with flexible hours / work from home policy. Availability of conference/quiet rooms is another option.

Symmetry 13y ago

My favorite and least favorite office environments were both open plan, it's all about how tightly you're packed in together, and whether there are side offices for private conversations or phone calls.

mh_yam 13y ago

"And yet everywhere I've spent time has been in favor of open offices" Most office layout decisions are made by upper management--who usually (conveniently) end up with private offices while the rest of the employees are forced to sit in the open area. "And if I need to concentrate, I can just put on headphones or go to a quiet room." The problem is that not all people working in open offices have this option. For example, at my company there is no such thing as a "quiet room." My opinion is that there should be a mix of both. Let people choose.

judk 13y ago

> quiet room You answered your own question. Colleges and your office have libraries or quiet rooms to flee to.