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More and more companies are rolling this out (even companies like Cisco). They claim that it increases productivity, collaboration and employee morale. Personally, I feel it is just a way to save on real estate. I never liked it and don't know anyone else that does except maybe the millennials.
I've been at this job for a few weeks now, where nobody is assigned any seating. So people have to carry their belongings everywhere, spending much of their day: looking for an open workstation, packing, unpacking, walking across the building to get supplies or coffee, adjusting the workstation so it works right, and looking for lost belongings. Managers do this all day long too, and have to give approval for every single task their employees do. So a manager's day is spent packing, unpacking, going to meetings, and approving every staple the employees use.
Needless to say, productivity is zero and most people have quit. My supervisor quit too after hiring me. The company is paying top dollar to hire people faster than they quit, and many management positions remain vacant. Is this sort of environment common among tech companies in the area?
We have areas of open seating like this where I work (large tech company). Apparently the millennials like it. However, we have no millennials on our team and us seasoned professionals could do without this open 'collaborative' environment. BUT, I have an open assigned seat, meaning it's small and no walls and open to the surroundings. If I badge in less than 3 times a week on average I could lose my assigned seat once we move to the area that we are finishing up for us.
Funny thing is that this concept originated several years ago and we're just now doing it. A Google search for 'open seating office' shows that there is a lot of backlash to this type of environment for certain professions. Mine included.
Can't say anything about approvals for items - but overall larger companies like "open" seating as you call it to decrease politics and increase collaboration, flexibility, morals.
Bull. Its cheaper and it allows the overseers to keep a closer watch on the field hands.
I agree - it is cheaper. We no longer have phones at desks (cell phone only), no name signs, no personal items. And overall we also have fewer desks and a smaller overall footprint.
But it also allows people to "sit outside of their comfort zone" according to my boss. But I have to agree I have met more colleagues after this arrangement came into our office and new working relationships were formed. People I would otherwise never sit next to and never introduce myself (because there is no need unless you sit next to them).
Obviously there are pros and cons, however I doubt that productivity is improved. Having spent a lot of time in the tech industry, I saw a lot of "fads" come and go over the years! Given time, I suspect this one will also likely pass.
I have seen this type of seating, but only in a mega call center I worked at for a few weeks (until I was offered a better job elsewhere).
Row upon row of open cubicles. You get in where you fit in. After leaving, I heard horror stories of police having to be called because of employee disputes about "stealing" unassigned seats that turned into physical altercations.
There's been a large push over the years for transparency and accountability at work. Those who work in agile software shops will know exactly what I'm talking about. The open seating and "collaboration" BS is just part of it.
All it is is an excuse for managers not to have to manage. At the same time, it pisses off good employees, and encourages them to work at a slower pace so that they never have any downtime. It makes slow, mediocre employees look great.
I used to bust my butt to get my work done quickly, and use the free time in between to do some self-training, learning, etc, or even (GASP) do something non-work-related. Now I work at a snails pace so that when I attend my daily standup meeting, I always can say that I worked on something yesterday, and will be working on something today.
So if anyone ever wonders why I spend so much time on CD, there you go
I agree - it is cheaper. We no longer have phones at desks (cell phone only), no name signs, no personal items. And overall we also have fewer desks and a smaller overall footprint.
But it also allows people to "sit outside of their comfort zone" according to my boss. But I have to agree I have met more colleagues after this arrangement came into our office and new working relationships were formed. People I would otherwise never sit next to and never introduce myself (because there is no need unless you sit next to them).
I don't know about other job roles, but for technical disciplines more socializing usually equates to lower productivity. This is the entire reason they started putting technical staff behind locked doors, so that people couldn't just randomly walk up to them and ask them how to do something.
Randomly forming working relationships doesn't seem good either. Who works with who on a daily basis should be defined by their actual project related duties, which should be defined by management unless management is completely incompetent. Choosing who you collaborate with based on how compatible your personality is with theirs is a disaster.
I'm sure incompetent management is about the only reason this "open" concept even exists in the first place. Good employees with any dignity won't tolerate this environment for long. Over the long term they'll just end up with a big open space full of distracted riff-raff workers getting nothing done, just socializing a lot and looking like they're getting something done.
I would tell your boss that pushing employees outside their comfort zone should be done with extreme caution. Most people are more productive in their comfort zone. Putting them in a state of never in the zone means never focused and never productive.
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