Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hell is a stylish shared office space

alphadevx.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 43 posts

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#21

Post by smelendez »

btbuildem wrote: post #12

| Overhead lights that switch off after a certain time if no motion is detected. I have even had this happen to me in the toilets :-) Ah, so you're the guy on his phone in the toilet, occupying a stall for way longer than necessary, while others have to wait. Thanks, buddy.

I've seen this too.

I think it's probably an ADA violation, because it must cause completely unnecessary problems for people with mobility issues (not everyone can easily wave their arms around over their head while using the restroom).

Edit: I actually know nothing about the legal nuances of the ADA, but it certainly seems to violate the generally understood spirit of the law.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#22

Post by pavel_lishin »

btbuildem wrote: post #12

| Overhead lights that switch off after a certain time if no motion is detected. I have even had this happen to me in the toilets :-) Ah, so you're the guy on his phone in the toilet, occupying a stall for way longer than necessary, while others have to wait. Thanks, buddy.

Your employer's inability to provide sufficient toilet stalls isn't my problem.

(My problem might be bowel related, and I bet you don't want to hear any of the details.)

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#23

Post by doctorRetro »

I spent nine and a half years with my own office (right out of school, too; I was quite lucky to have that) and while it wasn't much, it was mine. I then moved to a much better position with a more open concept. Not ultra-trendy-start-up open, but still with nine people in one room. The effect on my ability to concentrate has been very noticeable. If there is more than one conversation going on in the room, I need to get up and leave until it's over; I can't accomplish anything. I wouldn't go back to my previous position for anything, but I do miss my office.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#24

Post by jack9 »

I was very impressed by the WeWork offices in southern california. Modern, maze-like, soundproofed rooms, conference areas spread around (multiple floors). It was a little cumbersome to get in to with all the security, but was otherwise delightful.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#25

Post by jclardy »

olivermarks wrote: post #16

I was just meeting/working at the largest WeWork anywhere, in Moorgate London. I like the atmosphere, my 'but' would be noise levels. It only takes one loud/noisy neighbour and your concentration is gone. Multiples of that makes it hard to have a meeting, where you may well also be disrupting someone else's day by making too much noise. Therefore more sound proofing is needed...

I work remote and regularly work from coffee shops where the noise level is high. I find I am quite able to block out the noise/distractions fine in that environment.

I also go into the office occasionally (which is an open layout) and my productivity plummets. Less so because of the noise, but more so because the conversations being had around me have some relevance to me. And if I can help clarify something than I will interject. But the problem for me isn't noise, it is relevant noise where I subconsciously listen for something useful. Also with that you have people coming up to your and asking questions, because there is no indicator of "I'm busy right now" like a closed door in an office.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#26

Post by [deleted] »

olivermarks wrote: post #16

I was just meeting/working at the largest WeWork anywhere, in Moorgate London. I like the atmosphere, my 'but' would be noise levels. It only takes one loud/noisy neighbour and your concentration is gone. Multiples of that makes it hard to have a meeting, where you may well also be disrupting someone else's day by making too much noise. Therefore more sound proofing is needed...

[deleted]

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#27

Post by diiaann »

We have a "private" office in a WeWork. For me the worst part is the desk itself, it's totally substandard as a task desk. Same with the chairs, people joke about the college analogy but I had better desking as a college student. Secondly, a lot of the interior decisions are questionable, such as the pendant light that casts glare on my monitor.

Also the music in the common areas is irritating and I even like some of the songs they play.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#28

Post by pavel_lishin »

acd wrote: post #14

I think open shared office spaces are an effect of high rents in Sillicon valley and major capital cities. Startups having limited capital rarther spending it on employees salaries getting more head count. Shared space is not effective for concentrating during coding. I doubt shared spaces has been evaluated for effectiveness versus personal office. Shared spaces may be a cause of people working remote.

Is there any advantage to a shared space? It seems like the sort of solution where you're working solo anyway, so there's no reason to have the team all there...

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#29

Post by QAPereo »

gxs wrote: post #4

One unintended consequence of cramming 3-4x the amount of people into a building designed in the 60s/70s for offices is the influx of traffic. On top of that, parking becomes very problematic. On top of that bathrooms and kitchens are harder to maintain, though admittedly those can be more easily remodeled. May not be a huge deal in the city, but definitely in a lot of office parks in the 'burbs I've been in.

Silicon Valley: Welcome To The Gongsi Fong.

Re: Hell is a stylish shared office space

#30

Post by smoe »

"Instead [at lunch] you will sit with your own company teammates, so that you can talk freely about your current projects and issues."

What seems more hellish to me, is teammates that can't shut up constantly talking about work during breaks.

While I see problems with shared office spaces, exchange with or people from sometimes completely different domains during breaks is the biggest plus for me. At least from experience in Switzerland and Colombia.

Post reply on HN