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Agree, and they are trying to Band-Aid the situation with environment while the culture remains the same, which won't work.
In some cases and in the Blue Blood industry in which I work, this was done in a desperate attempt to attract and retain certain segments of the population who were forgoing this industry whose shine has come off, and this demographic prefer newer companies that are and always were this type of culture and never were old skool.
There is an interesting article below. It's becoming rarer and rarer to see articles about positive results from open offices. Is there anyone out there who really feels they work better in an open office? Every study I've seen says the opposite, as does real world feedback (including what seems to be consensus here on C-D).
"Moreover, the women in the noisy condition made significantly fewer attempts to solve the puzzles, indicative of decreased motivation after exposure to the noisy environment. Evans and Johnson’s findings suggest that immediate performance might not be dampened by an open office environment, but that increased stress, decreased motivation, and illness might accumulate to reduce overall productivity later on"
We have the white noise and noise deadening cubicles in my office. They work quite well. Our walls arent that low though. We have stand up desks and even with people standing up talking on the phone it is not that noisy.
and from the Forbes article:
Thus while noise was a problem, the greater noise level didn’t appear to be from all of the collective collaboration buzzing around the open room. ..... In other words, the desire for more collaboration among employees was shared by all, but those in open office plans may not have found it to be worth all of the stress and distraction from the bombardment of noise.
If I have to see a Dr. because I can't take a lunch this country is doomed. I am very focused on my job. I produce my butt off and do everything asked of me and then some. Focusing on my job isn't the issue, it's HOW the journey of getting it done is conducted.
Sorry, I was focusing too much on your response to your coworkers' stress. I didn't really get that you are feeling as if the employers expectations are unreasonable.
I have noticed some people like to play the martyr and make sure everyone knows they are more dedicated than the rest. (I'm sooooo important I can't take lunch!) Then the competition begins! (Really? I'm sooooo important I had to go to 11 meetings today!)
Sometimes the ethnicity of the workers is a factor. In some cultures, hours of overwork and little work/life balance are the norm.
There are plenty of workplaces that aren't like yours. Please find one!
It's not just an "RDU" thing. This kind of open seating environment occurs in many places as companies try to squeeze real estate costs and consolidate people into as small a space as they can.
As for not taking a lunch break -- you're an adult; pick yourself up and walk out at noon or 1pm and go have yourself a nice lunch or a walk or whatever you want. If other people want to live like bees in a hive that's up to them. Unless there's a written policy that forbids employees from taking lunch breaks (and I highly doubt there is such a policy), then do what's best for you every single day. You have to put yourself first because no one in a company will ever do so. And don't apologize for it either. You're human, you're an adult, you make executive decisions for yourself.
You're right, I was wrong. I think I was thinking about the part that says, "...if an employer does give breaks, then the break must be at least 30 minutes for the employer to be able to deduct the time from an employee's pay..."
I've worked at some places that tried to make people clock-in/out for <30 minutes and probably got confused. Thanks for clarifying!
I agree - if you want to take a break, then just walk out at lunch and take a break! Sometimes people assume you will know that you're allowed to eat lunch.......it won't be a problem unless you're consistently coming back after a 2 hour lunch break
My company moved to open office a couple of years ago. The idea was to increase collaboration. What really happened was everyone slowly over time brought in headphones. Now no one talks because everyone put up virtual walls. It killed collaboration.
I agree - if you want to take a break, then just walk out at lunch and take a break! Sometimes people assume you will know that you're allowed to eat lunch.......it won't be a problem unless you're consistently coming back after a 2 hour lunch break
Even then as long as your work is done many offices really don't care. If you skip meetings or don't deliver on time then they will. I know mine would care if I showed up at 8 and took 2 hours and left at 4 but if I went in at 7 and took 2 hours and left around 5 they wouldn't at all.
There is an interesting article below. It's becoming rarer and rarer to see articles about positive results from open offices. Is there anyone out there who really feels they work better in an open office? Every study I've seen says the opposite, as does real world feedback (including what seems to be consensus here on C-D).
"Moreover, the women in the noisy condition made significantly fewer attempts to solve the puzzles, indicative of decreased motivation after exposure to the noisy environment. Evans and Johnson’s findings suggest that immediate performance might not be dampened by an open office environment, but that increased stress, decreased motivation, and illness might accumulate to reduce overall productivity later on"
My husband prefers the cube life as opposed to closed in offices for work. I think that as an engineer it makes him feel a little more social throughout the day. But, he also has headphones to use when he really needs to get things done. His company truly values the employees - they bring in lunch, provides snacks, have a game room, and I know some employees take off for a round of disc golf or volleyball match a couple times a week. The employees have work to get done in a timely manner and the company does not dictate the hours of the day, how or where it gets done. He seriously loves his job and the company.
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