5 ms·

For me, open office + headphones = private office. At a vastly reduced cost. I know that doesn't work for everyone though.

by vlunkr 12y ago

option 12y ago
Yes, that's what many devs do. That is of varied efficiency to different people. In laboratory settings, noise has been repeatedly tied to reduced cognitive performance [1]. Also, what happens during flu season? How many people are gone and how often vs private office setting? I'd love to see a study on this. [1] http://eab.sagepub.com/content/40/2/151.abstract http://eab.sagepub.com/content/40/2/151.abstract
EC1 12y ago
I've tried to make myself believe that I'm more productive with headphones. Unfortunately the truth is I work best in terrifying silence.
afandian 12y ago
+ hearing damage in a couple of decades
- tedunangst 12y ago
  How loud is your open office?
  - praneshp 12y ago
    It's as a result of prolonged headphone use, not loudness.
    - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
      I guess I'm screwed either way. I have an office currently but I still use my headphones as much as when I didn't have one.
    - wishinghand 12y ago
      I don't see how that's true, but I'm open to having my mind changed. But a comfortable listening level with well-insulated headphones/IEMs for prolonged hours shouldn't be damaging. It can be tiring but having periods of quiet (home life, sleep) re-invigorates them.
    - arsenide 12y ago
      Source? I've only heard of sound intensity (not duration of sound) contributing to eventual hearing loss.
      - afandian 12y ago
        This addresses the duration question: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/tips-to-protect-hearing.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/tips-to-pr...
threeseed 12y ago
And when you allow for private working areas it is going to be very difficult for developers et al to argue against this trend. Everything has seemingly been thought of e.g. if you are sick give free flu shots and health checks to employees. I am working in a company that is redesigning the building to be more open plan. It is clear that HR is driving the decision not architects or interior designers.
jquery 12y ago
It also equals hearing loss, but that doesn't show up on the company balance sheets.
- therealdrag0 12y ago
  Closed cans or IEMs allow you to have very little (or no) audio volume while still blocking outside noise.
  - moe 12y ago
    And both tend to get very uncomfortable when worn for extended periods of time.
    - therealdrag0 12y ago
      Totally agree. I think offices should be default with optional communal areas, not the opposite (communal offices with limited private work rooms).
jmspring 12y ago
Open office + headphones negates some of the "pluses" touted by open office advocates. When I worked at Skype, the office in Palo Alto got some kudos for the "design" -- http://www.designblitzsf.com/projects/skype-hq/ http://www.designblitzsf.com/projects/skype-hq/ being one such URL. As far as noise goes, even with audio engineers on staff, the level of disruptive noise was horrible. People having calls at their desks, testing mobile notifications, etc. Thankfully, I worked at home 50+% of the time as getting productive work done in the office was incredibly difficult. Large open space + open office = bad idea. Our office in Stockholm, while an open office, had many smaller sections offset by walls, break rooms, etc. It was a much better experience overall, but still not optimal.
InclinedPlane 12y ago
A private office means you can have a meeting (scheduled or not) with up to 2 or 3 other people without having to bother looking for a conference room.
pbreit 12y ago
It does occur to you that wearing headphones all day in the office is kinda weird and undesirable for a lot of people?
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
sdrothrock 12y ago
I work in an open-ish office and have two problems with this: 1. I have glasses and a hearing aid (cochlear implant) and have yet to find headphones that don't make my left ear/head throb with pain after more than six hours. 2. Visual distractions: people walking through, people seemingly approaching me (but actually approaching someone nearby), people waving, etc. are all just as bad as auditory distractions, if not worse for me personally since I tend to rely heavily on vision to replace what I can't hear.

For me, open office + headphones = private office. At a vastly reduced cost. I know that doesn't work for everyone though.

by vlunkr 12y ago

For me, open office + headphones = private office. At a vastly reduced cost. I know that doesn't work for everyone though.

option 12y ago

Yes, that's what many devs do. That is of varied efficiency to different people. In laboratory settings, noise has been repeatedly tied to reduced cognitive performance [1]. Also, what happens during flu season? How many people are gone and how often vs private office setting? I'd love to see a study on this. [1] http://eab.sagepub.com/content/40/2/151.abstract http://eab.sagepub.com/content/40/2/151.abstract

EC1 12y ago

I've tried to make myself believe that I'm more productive with headphones. Unfortunately the truth is I work best in terrifying silence.

afandian 12y ago

+ hearing damage in a couple of decades

tedunangst 12y ago
How loud is your open office?
- praneshp 12y ago
  It's as a result of prolonged headphone use, not loudness.
  - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
    I guess I'm screwed either way. I have an office currently but I still use my headphones as much as when I didn't have one.
  - wishinghand 12y ago
    I don't see how that's true, but I'm open to having my mind changed. But a comfortable listening level with well-insulated headphones/IEMs for prolonged hours shouldn't be damaging. It can be tiring but having periods of quiet (home life, sleep) re-invigorates them.
  - arsenide 12y ago
    Source? I've only heard of sound intensity (not duration of sound) contributing to eventual hearing loss.
    - afandian 12y ago
      This addresses the duration question: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/tips-to-protect-hearing.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/tips-to-pr...

threeseed 12y ago

And when you allow for private working areas it is going to be very difficult for developers et al to argue against this trend. Everything has seemingly been thought of e.g. if you are sick give free flu shots and health checks to employees. I am working in a company that is redesigning the building to be more open plan. It is clear that HR is driving the decision not architects or interior designers.

jquery 12y ago

It also equals hearing loss, but that doesn't show up on the company balance sheets.

therealdrag0 12y ago
Closed cans or IEMs allow you to have very little (or no) audio volume while still blocking outside noise.
- moe 12y ago
  And both tend to get very uncomfortable when worn for extended periods of time.
  - therealdrag0 12y ago
    Totally agree. I think offices should be default with optional communal areas, not the opposite (communal offices with limited private work rooms).

jmspring 12y ago

Open office + headphones negates some of the "pluses" touted by open office advocates. When I worked at Skype, the office in Palo Alto got some kudos for the "design" -- http://www.designblitzsf.com/projects/skype-hq/ http://www.designblitzsf.com/projects/skype-hq/ being one such URL. As far as noise goes, even with audio engineers on staff, the level of disruptive noise was horrible. People having calls at their desks, testing mobile notifications, etc. Thankfully, I worked at home 50+% of the time as getting productive work done in the office was incredibly difficult. Large open space + open office = bad idea. Our office in Stockholm, while an open office, had many smaller sections offset by walls, break rooms, etc. It was a much better experience overall, but still not optimal.

InclinedPlane 12y ago

A private office means you can have a meeting (scheduled or not) with up to 2 or 3 other people without having to bother looking for a conference room.

pbreit 12y ago

It does occur to you that wearing headphones all day in the office is kinda weird and undesirable for a lot of people?

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

sdrothrock 12y ago

I work in an open-ish office and have two problems with this: 1. I have glasses and a hearing aid (cochlear implant) and have yet to find headphones that don't make my left ear/head throb with pain after more than six hours. 2. Visual distractions: people walking through, people seemingly approaching me (but actually approaching someone nearby), people waving, etc. are all just as bad as auditory distractions, if not worse for me personally since I tend to rely heavily on vision to replace what I can't hear.