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Is the open office layout dead?

blogs.dropbox.com

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Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#31

Post by prawn »

Zigurd wrote: post #11

I doubt it. Although I think a quiet private office is the best environment for those times when you need hours of uninterrupted concentration, other changes make open offices tolerable. My 4k screen occupies almost all of my field of view. I like ambient music for the coding trance. Instead I predict the death of the office. Remote work in dispersed co-working spaces is even more cost-efficient than an open office.

I co-own a co-working space where most of us are in one open-plan room of around 10 people.

While home offices are more cost- and time-efficient (no commute, no office cost to employers), I still come into the office despite having a decent set up at home. I'm more productive here even with the open plan, the time lost commuting, etc. And we have had steady enquiries from prospective tenants, all in a similar situation.

Going by HN, not everyone loves open plan, but for me, the advantages of a shared, open office are: people being able to see my screen from afar mean I'm more likely to stay on task rather than get distracted and research holidays non-stop, I enjoy the social interactions with colleagues, and face-to-face is best for collaborating.

I think we'll see dispersed co-working spaces for a while, at least until VR is strong enough to emulate the benefits of working with peers.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#32

Post by reificator »

strictnein wrote: post #19
thesmallestcat wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't give them any ideas, or things will go the other way: Want an external monitor? That'll be $50/month. Access to the supply closet is $10/month.

I've brought my own monitor into work before. Was about to do it with my current role until they finally got me a decent one.

I bring my own keyboard and mouse.

I've considered monitors as well but those provided work well enough for my needs right now.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#33

Post by pasbesoin »

protomyth wrote: post #16

And with office space at a premium, private offices for everyone isn’t a realistic alternative, nor is it ideal. I disagree. Privacy pods make me claustrophobic, and since I have some ear issues, noise canceling headphones are painful. Offices are only unaffordable if you don’t properly account for the cost of distracted developers. I do agree proper meeting rooms are needed also.

It also externalizes the longer term health care costs.

Chronic stress is generally and scientifically recognized as a significant negative health factor.

And then there is the longer term lost productivity of those negatively impacted by it. All the way up to premature aging and death.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#34

Post by chadaustin »

(Disclaimer: I used to work at Dropbox)

I'm not a fan of a binary "open office or not" distinction: both can be done well. Dropbox's old office was the best open office I've worked in. Large desks, low employee per sq. ft. density, sound-absorbing foam on the (high) ceilings, teams spaced relatively far apart. The new Dropbox office was a slight regression. Smaller desks, slightly higher employee density, no sound-absorbing material. But it was still mostly fine.

IMVU's open offices back in 2012 or so sucked. Employees were packed together to the point that it was sometimes even hard to walk from point A to point B.

I feel like the most important office quality metrics are employee density and how well sound carries.

Whether or not there are useful collaboration surfaces matters too: cubicle walls are great for stickies and note cards. But that's solvable with easy access to dry-erase walls or dry-erase boards on wheels.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#35

Post by h3h4 »

davb wrote: post #7

> No designated desks I hate hot desking. I know it's very subjective but when I come into an office for eight hours a day, five days a week, I like to personalise my workspace. I don't drive, I take public transport and walk, and hate carting my laptop and charger around with me. I want my own space, with meeting rooms and collaboration spaces for when I need those things. I may be alone in saying so, but I'd happil…

I agree with your points if hot desking is forced on you, but I won't mind it being an optional thing(in addition to private office), can definitely use occasional change of environment to fight boredom.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#36

Post by Sophistifunk »

davb wrote: post #7

> No designated desks I hate hot desking. I know it's very subjective but when I come into an office for eight hours a day, five days a week, I like to personalise my workspace. I don't drive, I take public transport and walk, and hate carting my laptop and charger around with me. I want my own space, with meeting rooms and collaboration spaces for when I need those things. I may be alone in saying so, but I'd happil…

Definitely. I've consistently told recruiters I'm not interested when I hear there's hot-desking involved, and even (politely) declined mid-interview once when I didn't know up-front it was a thing at that particular company.

If your teams have no need to be together physically, then THEY HAVE NO NEED TO COME INTO THE OFFICE.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#38

Post by driverdan »

What a stupid clickbait headline. Obviously it's not dead. Research that shows it's terrible has been around longer than open offices have been popular. If management cared about the evidence they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Let me fix their conclusion with the cheapest, most employee friendly way to solve the problem.

> Luckily, the solution is fairly simple— allow everyone to work remote.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#39

Post by cm2187 »

sundvor wrote: post #24
strictnein wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've brought my own monitor into work before. Was about to do it with my current role until they finally got me a decent one.

I have my own personal U3415W for my Visual Studio programming. I have brought it up in interviews, if any issues to my bringing it in. (At home I have the Acer X34 Predator. The Dell came first; when I realised how good it was for programming I knew I needed one at work.)

How about a 42inch 4K monitor (Philips BDM4350UC). In term of screen real estate it is fantastic.

Re: Is the open office layout dead?

#40

Post by giaour »

sleet wrote: post #6
concede_pluto wrote: post #2

It's been over a decade since I had so much as a semi-private office (shared with just one quiet teammate) so I have to say the death of the open office is exaggerated. And all of their workarounds assume a laptop could ever substitute for a desktop with an ergonomic keyboard and a large screen. It's amazing that the escalating competition in pay and perks never seem to include space to get into the zone.

A large screen typically isn't a problem. The office I work in has a number of the options mentioned - privacy pods, and a mixture of zoning and some dedicated desks. All the work spaces have nice monitors but you'll need to bring your own ergonomic keyboard and mouse.

That sounds incredibly unfriendly to differently abled employees. What if you need a desk that is significantly taller or shorter than normal? What if you need a non-traditional keyboard while recovering from surgery?
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