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Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

thewalrus.ca

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Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#11

Post by bbctol »

reificator wrote: post #9
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

> If this is the future of tech work, then I guess I'd better find another career--perhaps gardening or wood-working? Exactly. I can't imagine working in an environment like that. You don't want to hear me playing Smooth by Neil Cicierega[1], and I don't want to hear you playing rap. A work environment is not the place to be playing music for everyone around you. Constant generic music is the worst part of retail, an…

I think that song has increased my productivity 150%.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#12

Post by rxhernandez »

reificator wrote: post #9
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

> If this is the future of tech work, then I guess I'd better find another career--perhaps gardening or wood-working? Exactly. I can't imagine working in an environment like that. You don't want to hear me playing Smooth by Neil Cicierega[1], and I don't want to hear you playing rap. A work environment is not the place to be playing music for everyone around you. Constant generic music is the worst part of retail, an…

I would like to hear both but not at work(I feel like saying you only like one genre is saying you only like one style of food). I would like absolute dead silence at work because that's when I do my best work; hence why I like to work from home 90% of the time.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#13

Post by LandR »

gnclmorais wrote: post #3

> WeWork offers freelancers a chic workspace and beer on tap—but are people productive? Not really. That was my experience at a WeWork space in London. It was not quiet (glass walls), it was hard to focus, social events starting at 4pm (who finishes work at that time?), and if you end up being close to the common spaces, near the kitchen… well, I suggest you get a good pair of sound cancelling headphones.

I finish at 4...

But everything else you say is correct. Headphones are a must in a shared office.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#14

Post by cle »

dwc wrote: post #6

That's not a shared office, it's a coworking space or something. I've shared an office with a teammate before, and it was very productive. It was a great mix of heads-down work and the ability to discuss issues/design as needed. OTOH, someone I know started a coworking space a few miles away from my home. I popped in there a couple of times to check it out and decided it was very much not for me. Too much "collaborat…

It's more like a narcissistic frat than a co-working space. Or maybe more of a "co-space", since actually getting work done in a WeWork can be a challenge.

(Note: I've actually spent a good deal of time in a WeWork.)

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#15

Post by howard941 »

gambiting wrote: post #5
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

I can't imagine worse environment for a tech job than the one where you have music playing out of speakers. Also - working on your laptop? Without proper monitors and upright sitting position? Nope, thank you.

I'll trade my great guy who's hard of hearing telephonic tech support dude in adjacent cube for your music but you're right about the lappie.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#17

Post by cup-of-tea »

I "work" in an open office type space. My ears are filled with people on the phone or just talking about work they could do. In my peripheral vision is a colleague and various other movements. I'm here to do only very simple work because I can't think very deeply. Any serious work is done at home where I am many times more productive. For some work this type of setup might be fine, but for anything resembling engineering it's impossible.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#18

Post by azemetre »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

I never forget when I had an interview at a WeWork location, my first exposure to "co-sharing" workspaces, it was in Boston and the place was so loud and annoying I honestly thought I was in a mess hall for a university. It was an immediate pass.

I can see the benefits for small teams/companies but at that point why not just commute from home and save the money?

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#19

Post by ryandrake »

reificator wrote: post #9
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

> If this is the future of tech work, then I guess I'd better find another career--perhaps gardening or wood-working? Exactly. I can't imagine working in an environment like that. You don't want to hear me playing Smooth by Neil Cicierega[1], and I don't want to hear you playing rap. A work environment is not the place to be playing music for everyone around you. Constant generic music is the worst part of retail, an…

Also alcohol flowing at work? I’m no teetotaler but isn’t that a recipe for trouble? Assuming we’re not just talking about sharing a few beers after hours. I’ve worked with people who drank on the job to the point where they were working totally shitfaced, and it’s not pretty. If they’re meeting with other teams or customers, they’re going to be an embarrassment, and if they’re checking in code... let’s not even go there. Not to mention how Silicon Valley is now all wrapped around the axle in “harassment this” and “inclusion that” and sexual bad behavior and so on. I doubt alcohol would help with any of that. Just seems like an overall bad idea.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#20

Post by marcosdumay »

CodeCube wrote: post #7

This is definitely the most common response I hear to shared/open offices ... but dang it, I love them (part time)! I go into a co-working space once or twice a week, and wfh the rest of the time. When I'm there, I enjoy being around people who can relate to what I'm doing (even if it's just as simple as a knowing nod when I comment on a tough bug I'm troubleshooting). And if I need to focus, headphones easily place…

> (part time)

That is a too important distinction to be left on a small parenthesis without relevance.

Yes, part time shared/open offices are good. I would still argue that real offices let you create a better interactive environment than those, but they are perfectly ok for the amount of time you must go out and talk to somebody.

Just don't expect anybody to create anything when forced to work on one of those full time.

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