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The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

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Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#261

Post by HelloNurse »

massenburger wrote: post #53

I'm sure this is just anecdotal, but we all kind of like our open office layout. We're not just at desks sitting shoulder to shoulder. They're more of these horseshoe-esque things, and you have plenty of room between you and the next person. We have an open ceiling, so the A/C provides some good, loud background noise to drown out conversations. And lastly, we're pretty strict about having people IM you before they c…

Some problems defy budget. I'm in a mid-sized office (8 people) or in a customer's larger office (about 30 people) and in both cases noise is moderate (and mostly consisting of interesting conversation) but there are plenty of idiots who turn off air conditioning, open the windows or pull up curtains regardless of everyone else's comfort.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#262

Post by bambax »

tomtheelder wrote: post #23
mcherm wrote: post #2

> And for what? Because a minority of people kinda like that configuration? Because it’ll look good in a few photos? Because it’ll impress strangers who visit the office? Somehow the author missed the primary reason for the open office configuration: "Because it cuts the costs of office space by a HUGE amount (certainly more than half)." I suppose "Because it makes it easier for managers to keep an eye on their emplo…

Yeah this is one of HN's favorite topics to bash on while completely ignoring the primary reason why the open office exists and persists. It's not about collaboration, it's not about socializing, it's about money. Just like all other business related decisions.

Not sure about that. Remote would save so much more on office space! Yet most companies hate remote and don't allow it.

I think the real reason is managers want to be able to see everyone at a glance; it's all about control.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#263

Post by HelloNurse »

collinf wrote: post #19

My biggest issue with my open floor office is that it seems like everyone just takes calls at their seats. We have private spaces and enclaves for that, but I am just bombarded with 4 people within 10 feet of my workspace on their phone. To counteract I throw on some Ambient music on my headphones, which sort of works but I still find I prefer to work in silence. Does it not seem like open-office etiquette to take a…

If I take or make a phone call, it must be in a place where my computer, my notes and my phone are located. This means the open office, regardless of how much I disturb my audience.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#264

Post by larrik »

maltalex wrote: post #259
larrik wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, but accountants don't measure productivity, only cost. It doesn't matter if it takes 3 times as long to ship your product, the only way they'd justify the higher cost of the office is if it meant cutting jobs.

> Ah, but accountants don't measure productivity, only cost. Accountants don't get to decide the office layout in my experience.

You'd be surprised how often accountants run a company unofficially, and all the ways that it happens.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#265

Post by forgottenpass »

your-nanny wrote: post #121
rayiner wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That and dogs in the office. Jesus what’s wrong with people. (The fact you’re being downvoted is proof we are living in the end times.)

we have dogs in the office. they're quiet and most people love them. in any case they are the least of the distractions...and usually only if you made the miserable decision to eat lunch at desk (which in an open office can be even more of a nuisance)

Dogs are fun to have around. I love to give them scratches and bellyrubs when I need a distraction from frustration. I'm allergic and my arms will get itchy but it's worth it.

This thread of Hacker News kvetching has really lost focus on the case against open offices. This reads like a contest of who can be the most uptight in the office.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#267

Post by bloat »

notacoward wrote: post #201
Cyph0n wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, because it's probably just you. Quite a few people in this thread really don't understand how big of an event thr World Cup is...

It doesn't matter how big a deal it is. It's not work. Even if it's a natural disaster or a war, if it's not work you go watch it in a break room or you take PTO and stay home or you do whatever you need to ensure that it's not disruptive to others. The level of entitlement necessary to believe that your company and everyone in it should accommodate your personal non-work video watching boggles my mind.

But when the non World Cup watchers are in the minority then you have it exactly backwards. You're asking all the football fans (which at World Cup time is nearly everyone) to accommodate your idiosyncratic personal desire to carry on working.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#268

Post by Cyph0n »

notacoward wrote: post #201
Cyph0n wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, because it's probably just you. Quite a few people in this thread really don't understand how big of an event thr World Cup is...

It doesn't matter how big a deal it is. It's not work. Even if it's a natural disaster or a war, if it's not work you go watch it in a break room or you take PTO and stay home or you do whatever you need to ensure that it's not disruptive to others. The level of entitlement necessary to believe that your company and everyone in it should accommodate your personal non-work video watching boggles my mind.

Did I say it is OK to disrupt others in the workplace? Of course it isn't, regardless of the event.

I was responding to a comment that compared watching a movie to following the World Cup live. The two are not comparable at all. I was also responding to other comments that were somehow dumbfounded by others wanting to watch the World Cup in general.

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#269

Post by eqdw »

At a previous office we did a survey regarding our open office space.

The answers were extremely polarized, with about half the office loving them and half the office hating them.

The separation was pretty clean: people whose jobs involved focusing for extended periods of time hated it. People whose jobs were mundane/mindless/entry level, people whose jobs involved multitasking across a lot of things, and people whose jobs involved constant interruptions, loved it.

This is broadly consistent with the thesis "open plan offices are very bad for focus and concentration"

Re: The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

#270

Post by jehlakj »

nojvek wrote: post #132
RandallBrown wrote: post #117

To throw some more anecdotes in with the rest of the comments, I love open offices. I've had my own office and found it lonely and boring. I never got less work done than at that job. Everything took longer because I had to stand up and walk to talk to my team. Instant messaging sort of worked, but if they didn't respond immediately, you didn't know if it was because they missed the message or they weren't actually i…

I thrive in hybrid environment. I go to office for half the day, while other half the day I either work from home, or in a coffee place or somewhere else where I can be in the zone for hours. But the downside is I’m a workaholic. I spend too many hours working.

Can’t do this. The moment I introduce work at home, I have a much harder time not thinking about work.
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