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I don't think that most companies are designing their offices entirely around sick days. It seems likely that you could find a number of areas where open office

I don't think that most companies are designing their offices entirely around sick days. It seems likely that you could find a number of areas where open offices look statistically better, and a number of areas where they look worse. It also seems likely to me that open offices are more likely to be poorly executed than private rooms (there's a lot more rope to hang yourself with). That's all the more reason for us to have more nuanced discussions about it. As an example, most people on HN are singularly focused on what makes for a good office for programmers. My startup is made up mostly of non-programmers, and all programmers are allowed to work remotely. So basically, my goals might not be the same as yours, and one-size-fits-all advice is too simplistic. Another example: In our office everyone's primary desk is in the open workspace, but we also have enough private rooms that 100% of our team can work from those at the same time if they want. So no one has to work from the open office, and yet most people choose to. I'd guess that open offices are viewed much more favorably when they're not the only option.

tjradcliffe 11y ago
-> It seems likely that you could find a number of areas where open offices look statistically better, and a number of areas where they look worse. To make this claim convincing you're going to have to come up with some data. For developers, the data show clearly open offices are productivity killers. Some people may like them, but that doesn't make those people more productive. So what are the areas where open offices plausibly improve business function? Employee retention? This is possible, as some people clearly have a preference for them, but based on comments in this and other threads the people who hate them hate the a lot, while the people who like them aren't nearly so zealous. Productivity? The data show this is clearly not the case. "Communication"? I put this in quotes because I'm not sure what it means, although it gets touted as a benefit of open offices. Private offices and short meetings with small numbers of people result in good communications within and across teams, and I'm not sure what barrier to communication is imposed by being unable to interrupt the person three desks over (and distract everyone in between) that can't be solved by a simple messenger app. Scalability? Almost by definition open offices don't scale. Maybe opponents of open offices should start hitting on this idea hard: "Your architecture scales, why doesn't your workplace?"
deleted 11y ago
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smileysteve 11y ago
> Another example: In our office everyone's primary desk is in the open workspace, but we also have enough private rooms that 100% of our team can work from those at the same time if they want. So no one has to work from the open office, and yet most people choose to. I'd guess that open offices are viewed much more favorably when they're not the only option. I've also read (I can't find the source) that one of the issues with open offices is the less personified work space. The decorations at your desk, the photos on the short walls of your cube, your chair settings all make you feel more at home. The more "open" your office is you lose this. Your anecdote could lead the conclusion that you drew, but I'm not sure that it does.
- madcaptenor 11y ago
  I have a pile of books that I keep on my table in an open office. Some of them are books I actually use frequently, but there's definitely a psychological component - this is my space, it's the one with the books.

tjradcliffe 11y ago

-> It seems likely that you could find a number of areas where open offices look statistically better, and a number of areas where they look worse. To make this claim convincing you're going to have to come up with some data. For developers, the data show clearly open offices are productivity killers. Some people may like them, but that doesn't make those people more productive. So what are the areas where open offices plausibly improve business function? Employee retention? This is possible, as some people clearly have a preference for them, but based on comments in this and other threads the people who hate them hate the a lot, while the people who like them aren't nearly so zealous. Productivity? The data show this is clearly not the case. "Communication"? I put this in quotes because I'm not sure what it means, although it gets touted as a benefit of open offices. Private offices and short meetings with small numbers of people result in good communications within and across teams, and I'm not sure what barrier to communication is imposed by being unable to interrupt the person three desks over (and distract everyone in between) that can't be solved by a simple messenger app. Scalability? Almost by definition open offices don't scale. Maybe opponents of open offices should start hitting on this idea hard: "Your architecture scales, why doesn't your workplace?"

deleted 11y ago

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smileysteve 11y ago

> Another example: In our office everyone's primary desk is in the open workspace, but we also have enough private rooms that 100% of our team can work from those at the same time if they want. So no one has to work from the open office, and yet most people choose to. I'd guess that open offices are viewed much more favorably when they're not the only option. I've also read (I can't find the source) that one of the issues with open offices is the less personified work space. The decorations at your desk, the photos on the short walls of your cube, your chair settings all make you feel more at home. The more "open" your office is you lose this. Your anecdote could lead the conclusion that you drew, but I'm not sure that it does.

madcaptenor 11y ago
I have a pile of books that I keep on my table in an open office. Some of them are books I actually use frequently, but there's definitely a psychological component - this is my space, it's the one with the books.