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Forced collaboration just never works. Whether that's through open office spaces, pointless meetings or whatever else mgmt comes up with. Personally, I'd rather get a root canal than to sit through some of these meetings where upper management drones on with nothing but Corporate-speak.
Our team has to live with open office, and it sucks, but after over a year of working together, we've kind of learned to make it work. The entire nature of my job is being constantly interrupted and bombarded with information so the personality fits. But it's something to bring up in a meeting, it would probably be a popular solution.
Dilbert's comic strip dubbed the cubical set up the "anti-productivity pod" OOHHH it has been a long time.. Wish I had not read this thread.... nightmares tonight for sure
Try open office space + plus shared office space (a la WeWork, Regus, Spaces, etc).
I work an office shared space and it is horrible. I can hear the other people in the other office space, i can see them since it's just glass and not a full screen privacy panel. Then to compound that i have to sit in an open office space. 1 row of desk and side by side a colleague.
A couple of years ago I worked for a big insurance company, doing data entry. It was work that required quiet and concentration, and zero collaboration. Every tiny error (think comma missing) counted against your "numbers", which were everything to the evaluation of how well we were doing. When I started we had cubicles with either 4' or 5' walls, and the bosses had real offices. It was heaven. I was on the end of a row, so even had a window. Score!
A few months in we moved to a NEW! and IMPROVED! office. One foot high "walls", rows and rows of desks, the supervisors got 4' glass barriers at least. The bosses tried so hard to sell it as a cool, hip, awesome move. I ended up face to face with a young guy who stood up and stretched constantly, called to people across the way, banged his water bottle on top of his little metal locker. Our desks vibrated every time someone touched them (and there were 4 of us in one pod of desks) or someone walked by. I wore headphones, but I couldn't block out feeling the vibrations and seeing movement in my peripheral vision. I expressed my frustration, and got moved to a desk where I was facing a wall, and I appreciated that my supervisor tried. But it was right next to the bathroom door and the floor microwave, and the desk and floor still shook randomly. I sucked at dealing with it.
I didn't last long. It went from a job I was enjoying very much to a miserable place I dreaded going to. I found out later there have been tons of layoffs. I'm now wondering if the move to the cheaper office was a way to wind down the budget for the group.
This setup would cause me to have panic attacks and chronic severe stress. With all the people who have mental and anxiety disorders today, I am amazed many are able to work among such chaos and distraction.
I worked in a small office that had desks together but we usually only had four at a time there and were all part time, and we would go out on sales calls. That was fine. Otherwise I always had a cubicle with a high wall or a private office with a door.
People waste so much time gossiping, schmoozing with the higher ups, and dealing with petty drama.
A work from home situation is great since the focus is almost entirely on performance rather than acting your way through the day and dealing with all of the political nonsense that goes along with working in an office.
Last edited by Blue Wave; 11-27-2018 at 11:58 AM..
I work at a law firm and I have an open cube and I frikken hate it. I *need* quiet to concentrate (i.e. drafting petitions, discovery, etc.) and how can I do that when I have talking/music/wtf ever noise happening all around me???
it's cost and hierarchy and it's stupid (only JD's get offices).
A work from home situation is great since the focus is almost entirely on performance rather than acting your way through the day and dealing with all of the political nonsense that goes along with working in an office.
Exactly, but too many companies like to micro-manage instead.
If they want to save money on office space, remote work is usually the best option. Going to an office everyday only makes sense if your job involves some hands-on work such as being in a factory or lab.
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