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..
The Solution for Open Office Frustration
31–40 of 67 posts
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#32There's no solution here. Red lights, seriously?
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#33I'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.
You're forgetting the mentality you're dealing with: as far as they're concerned, if you're not productive, regardless of the environment, the problem is you. Never them.
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#34I'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.
That's what I was thinking, especially reading this line: > With the vast majority of us now working in open concept offices — some studies have said that 70% of US workers work in this kind of environment — companies are being forced to come up with novel ways to ensure we stay productive and don’t find ourselves driven delirious from the noise and chaos. They are being forced . Who chose the open office concept in…
About 10 years ago at a different employer, we planned a trip to a customer's office but I woke up late and missed the car by literally 5 minutes. We were in an open office plan where we faced each other...sales was also in the same room sitting right next to me. Since I missed the trip, I was the only person in the office for the rest of the week. Holy-cow did I get stuff done. My productivity shot through the roof and I swear in a few days I did probably 1 - 1.5 months of work. I told the owner about this and listed the things I did while they were away. He said something along these lines: "800 bucks per month to rent an office for you is nothing compared to your salary." A couple weeks later we all had our own offices. That should be an easy message for management. Don't nickle and dime the small stuff that greatly increases ROI.
I miss having competent management around.
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#35Don'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!
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#36Some 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..
Like this => https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/bc/17/61/bc17615c9...
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#37Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#38Don'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!
I interned at Goldman Sachs on an FX trading floor (very open plan). We had an Interrupter Jar. Everytime someone interupted another person, the interrupter was required to put 20$ (yes 20$, it's chump change for FX Traders) into it. When it filled up, we'd go out and buy beers for the entire team.
It worked quite well until we had a fratboy from Boston College. He would interrupt me just so he can fill up the jar and we go drinking.
Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#39Re: The Solution for Open Office Frustration
#40I 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.…