4 ms·

I work in an open-plan office and it's the most miserable thing in the world, even with headphones. After this I will never again accept a job without a private

I work in an open-plan office and it's the most miserable thing in the world, even with headphones. After this I will never again accept a job without a private office.

curlyquote 12y ago
Exactly my feelings.
keyle 12y ago
I'm completely with you on that one. Death stares at people having "meetings" without meeting rooms doesn't seem to help either.
sliverstorm 12y ago
I have not been blessed with a private office yet, but fortunately cubes are still dramatically better than open-plan (IMO).
- jbigelow76 12y ago
  I had a nice compromise at a startup I was at a few years back. Large offices, two developers per, with their dual monitor setups back to back and whiteboards behind each dev. It was a good balance, you could easily collaborate with the rest of the team when necessary and the other dev could stay pretty much heads down (especially with headphones).
- iolothebard 12y ago
  It's sad that we live in a world where the cube is now the "good" option. If I ever have another company, if I can't afford the office space, I don't need the person. Office space is cheap compared to salary and wasted productivity.
snambi 12y ago
100% agree. Not only that 100% of all my coworkers hate open-plan office. Even managers hate the open-plan office. It is only good for one thing, cheaper. thats all.
- hliyan 12y ago
  I have to agree. Last year I went from a workplace that had a massive open-plan office to one with small rooms. My general productivity level is about the same, but my problem-solving efficiency has gone way up. I'm convinced that peripheral sensory input breaks your concentration even if it doesn't consciously "bother" you.
allegory 12y ago
This. Life is better now I work from home. It's better to have the kids screaming in the background than people tapping your shoulder and blasting your entire thought process out of the window.
disputin 12y ago
Agreed. Having to wear headphones is unpleasant. I can't work unless I have crap on my head, and I have to listen to music? Ridiculous. Shortly before I left my last position the new manager arranged the seating so that the most communicative people were in the centre, for ease of access, so the majority of the noise was right in the middle of the workspace, constant, and inescapable. Productivity destroyed.
RandallBrown 12y ago
I work in an open plan office where we pair program 100% of the time. I was miserable working by myself in a private office.
- scuba7183 12y ago
  Pair programming 100% of the time sounds miserable to me

I work in an open-plan office and it's the most miserable thing in the world, even with headphones. After this I will never again accept a job without a private office.

curlyquote 12y ago

Exactly my feelings.

keyle 12y ago

I'm completely with you on that one. Death stares at people having "meetings" without meeting rooms doesn't seem to help either.

sliverstorm 12y ago

I have not been blessed with a private office yet, but fortunately cubes are still dramatically better than open-plan (IMO).

jbigelow76 12y ago
I had a nice compromise at a startup I was at a few years back. Large offices, two developers per, with their dual monitor setups back to back and whiteboards behind each dev. It was a good balance, you could easily collaborate with the rest of the team when necessary and the other dev could stay pretty much heads down (especially with headphones).
iolothebard 12y ago
It's sad that we live in a world where the cube is now the "good" option. If I ever have another company, if I can't afford the office space, I don't need the person. Office space is cheap compared to salary and wasted productivity.

snambi 12y ago

100% agree. Not only that 100% of all my coworkers hate open-plan office. Even managers hate the open-plan office. It is only good for one thing, cheaper. thats all.

hliyan 12y ago
I have to agree. Last year I went from a workplace that had a massive open-plan office to one with small rooms. My general productivity level is about the same, but my problem-solving efficiency has gone way up. I'm convinced that peripheral sensory input breaks your concentration even if it doesn't consciously "bother" you.

allegory 12y ago

This. Life is better now I work from home. It's better to have the kids screaming in the background than people tapping your shoulder and blasting your entire thought process out of the window.

disputin 12y ago

Agreed. Having to wear headphones is unpleasant. I can't work unless I have crap on my head, and I have to listen to music? Ridiculous. Shortly before I left my last position the new manager arranged the seating so that the most communicative people were in the centre, for ease of access, so the majority of the noise was right in the middle of the workspace, constant, and inescapable. Productivity destroyed.

RandallBrown 12y ago

I work in an open plan office where we pair program 100% of the time. I was miserable working by myself in a private office.

scuba7183 12y ago
Pair programming 100% of the time sounds miserable to me