I think open office is OK with very self restrained employees. I was in a pretty big company with super huge open floors, but globally everyone was quite, you

I think open office is OK with very self restrained employees. I was in a pretty big company with super huge open floors, but globally everyone was quite, you would easily prefer to IM a person 10m away than to try to talk directly. Projects would have group IM sessions and it was the polite way to ask or share information. If some difficult point arises, there was a meeting space at 10 or 20 meters away, or there's the coffee corner otherwise. When discussion that atmosphere with people working in other fields, retail for instance, they would find it unhuman and creepy, but I think it really strikes the right balance. I moved to another company more 'startup' like in the athmosphere, with people cracking jokes Here and there, and it's just pure hell from a work POV.