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The Solution for Open Office Frustration

bbc.com

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Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#21

Post by imh »

Twirrim wrote: post #7

I've got an amazing idea. Go away from open plan offices. I'm really baffled that that wasn't one of the solutions in the article. Red and Green coloured cubes? Lights? Ugly attempts to mask the symptoms, rather than fix the real problem: Open plan offices suck for productivity.

I'm pretty sure open floor plans are so prevalent because they are so much cheaper. I've been places where they actually switched out all our desks for smaller ones so we could fit more employees. These proposals are at least stabs at getting privacy and productivity in the horrible low cost setting that's taken over.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#22

Post by Zikes »

> Carpenter says that the red-green block has made a huge difference. [...] “It’s amazing. Just by flipping something I can say I’m busy,” he says. “And I need that.”

I'm not convinced this article isn't satire.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#24

Post by brennen »

I echo every other "stop building open floor plans" comment in here.

It's kind of hard to overstate the sad hilarity of so many orgs with vast resources being constitutionally incapable of using technology like walls and doors. There are few more concise arguments for the intellectual bankruptcy of cool-kid business practice.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#26

Post by cle »

I am getting so sick of open office plans. I have a colored light (a Blink(1), for those curious), and I have keyboard shortcuts for turning the light red/green, with a large sign next to the light that says "If light is red, I'm busy." I also wear very visible (and expensive) noise-cancelling headphones.

Even these very direct techniques don't work--people ignore the light and interrupt me anyway. It's gotten to the point where I straight up tell them that they're being rude and interrupting me, and to just ping me on IRC or email. They continue interrupting.

It's really sad that one of my main motivations for getting promoted is so I can get an office and avoid all these completely avoidable distractions.

Between the ops culture's endless interruptions, "Agile" ceremony, and open office plans, I don't know how we manage to get anything done.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#28

Post by chinathrow »

redwards510 wrote: post #25

Don't bother reading this article. The "solution"presented is to install red/green lights at your desk to signal to people not to walk up and interrupt you. That isn't the problem. The problem is NOISE, NOISE EVERYWHERE!

It's indeed the noise. I work in a co-working space for a few weeks now - the noise is unbearable.

Also, prepare for lots of folks with hearing issues once the headphone overuse kicks in. It won't be pretty.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#29

Post by mmanfrin »

I don't care about people coming up to talk to me. It usually means they have something they need help with or an answer to. What bothers me is the noise, and no noise cancellation set of headsets work because they block out white noise but not people talking. In fact, noise cancellation headphones tend to enhance voices, since there is no background noise to dull it.

Lights don't solve this. Hats don't solve this. Walls and space solve this.

Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration

#30

Post by Haydos585x2 »

mrfusion wrote: post #23
drewg123 wrote: post #15

Some workers take to building their own symbolic barriers for privacy At Google. somebody went as far as to build a little hut around his cube using cardboard boxes that he'd glued together. I wish I had a picture..

Was he immediately fired?

Why would that be a firable offense?
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