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I didn't think I would like them at all. Realized how great they were. I basically only use my office for meetings now and just sit out with the rest of the employees. It's much more efficient and collaborative for some areas while no good for others. Technology is an area where open office is the best way.
It's worth noting that Open offices aren't what they used to be 5 years ago. They've transformed significantly.
Been in all different types and absolutely hate any form of open office. Love being in a private office. The ability to close the door and concentrate is tremendous. We just reorged where I am and went from having an office back to a cube. My productivity has dropped at least 30-50%. The interruptions, noise, and people who want to chat constantly disrupt getting work done.
Be grateful you have a cube.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest
I didn't think I would like them at all. Realized how great they were. I basically only use my office for meetings now and just sit out with the rest of the employees. It's much more efficient and collaborative for some areas while no good for others. Technology is an area where open office is the best way.
It's worth noting that Open offices aren't what they used to be 5 years ago. They've transformed significantly.
I strenuously disagree.
My open office is loud. VERY loud. The only times I can focus are early in the morning before others get here, and at lunch when most of my coworkers are away from their desks. Any other time, it's as loud as a high school cafeteria or a bus station. There are only 2-3 people that I regularly need to "collaborate" with, and being in an open office does not facilitate that. I also get sick of smelling fenugreek all day long because some of my colleagues don't shower regularly or wear deodorant. And during flu season, people were dropping like flies. Now that it's allergy season, I get to hear people snorting and sneezing all day long. It's nauseating.
What we do requires tremendous concentration and attention to detail. We all find it very distracting to work in this environment.
It's worth noting that rework and production failures have increased significantly since the introduction of the open office plan. We are also having trouble recruiting talent because of it; the last two people we made offers to turned us down. Both cited the office environment as the main factor. They said "I just can't imagine working in that environment." Can't say I blame them.
It's also one of the reasons I'm hunting for a new job. When I was hired here, we had cubes. I didn't find out about the plan to change the office furniture until after I started here. If I'd known what it was going to look like, I wouldn't have accepted this job.
We are also having trouble recruiting talent because of it; the last two people we made offers to turned us down. Both cited the office environment as the main factor. They said "I just can't imagine working in that environment." Can't say I blame them.
I would probably turn down a job in an open office environment unless I was desperate or the pay was HUGELY more than normal. I have heard of people turning down jobs because of this. It seems to just add the extra stress of overcrowding to a job which most likely comes with enough stress anyway. I think for most people, it's detrimental to mental and physical health. I know I would feel like cattle. Good luck with your job search.
My open office is loud. VERY loud. The only times I can focus are early in the morning before others get here, and at lunch when most of my coworkers are away from their desks. Any other time, it's as loud as a high school cafeteria or a bus station.
I can respect that there are times when you need quiet time to concentrate. That's what the quiet floors, huddle rooms and pods are for. While your main desk facilitates you interacting with people outside of those you immediately work with, these quiet areas and amenities provide an area for you to hold meetings and concentrate as needed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek
There are only 2-3 people that I regularly need to "collaborate" with, and being in an open office does not facilitate that.
If you only spoke to the same 2-3 people everyday, there wouldn't be much knowledge sharing or informal cross-departmental training going on. Not that this is specific to open layouts. Snack bars, game rooms and other amenities also play a role in knowledge sharing across the organization and have existed for decades. Open layouts is just in addition to those.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek
I also get sick of smelling fenugreek all day long because some of my colleagues don't shower regularly or wear deodorant. And during flu season, people were dropping like flies. Now that it's allergy season, I get to hear people snorting and sneezing all day long. It's nauseating.
This issue seems to be anecdotal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek
What we do requires tremendous concentration and attention to detail. We all find it very distracting to work in this environment.
It's worth noting that rework and production failures have increased significantly since the introduction of the open office plan. We are also having trouble recruiting talent because of it; the last two people we made offers to turned us down. Both cited the office environment as the main factor. They said "I just can't imagine working in that environment." Can't say I blame them.
It's also one of the reasons I'm hunting for a new job. When I was hired here, we had cubes. I didn't find out about the plan to change the office furniture until after I started here. If I'd known what it was going to look like, I wouldn't have accepted this job.
Interesting. This has not been my experience with new hires.
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It depends on what you do. My people have cubes, but decent sized, and they spend little time on the phone so there is no problem with being able to hear. They all seem to value having some privacy. With the detailed work they do, distractions would be a problem. As a manager I require an office with a door, since I have to do performance reviews, and other sensitive work.
I can respect that there are times when you need quiet time to concentrate. That's what the quiet floors, huddle rooms and pods are for. While your main desk facilitates you interacting with people outside of those you immediately work with, these quiet areas and amenities provide an area for you to hold meetings and concentrate as needed..
This is reiterating what BigDGeek said, but these "times" when I need to concentrate are about 90% of my day. I don't know many people (at least in engineering / technology) who can get much done without concentrating.
And as for these quiet floors / huddle rooms, we have them were I work, and they are a total waste. I want to concentrate at my desk, where my 3 monitors, binders full of info I need, and laptop docking station are located. Why should I have to pack up and move to another area to get work done??
In my opinion, the cubicles work the best. You have a degree of privacy, some personal space that you can decorate a bit and some protection from noise. On the other hand, there is no door, so any of your coworkers can easily pop in and work with you on a problem without hesitation.
When I had a private office with a door once, I had real problems getting any work done. I kept either falling asleep or surfing the web. Had to drink a lot of coffee and keep the door always wide open. I guess I am not motivated enough.
I think the idea of an open office with no cubicles comes from the stupidity and greed of senior management. They want to use less space and they assume everyone works like they do, by walking around and chatting with people. If they have any specific deliverables that they need, they assign them to their direct reports. Thus, they are obsessed with collobaration not realizing that the productivity in many fields largely depends on doing individual work. Yes, collabaration, team work and communication are critical. But they are really methods for making individual performance better and thus usually take no more that 30% of person's time. But it sounds like open office is unfortunately in fashion now, at least in the tri state area around NYC and in the city itself.
Last edited by DefiantNJ; 04-24-2015 at 10:42 AM..
Coming from my own private office, I hate this open design bs. There is absolutely no privacy. My space faces the wall, so my back is facing the opposite way. It always feels like someone is sneaking up behind me. Someone left papers on my desk over the weekend and the chick in the next desk had already snooped at it before I got here. It is annoying as hell. I wish we had cubicles.
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