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Open offices are a dead end

nytimes.com

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Re: Open offices are a dead end

#91

Post by nilkn »

ivl wrote: post #57

I think I'd have a less negative reaction to open offices if it weren't for the attempt to sell it as a productivity booster . The article even mentions how they're "sold to workers as a boon to collaboration — liberated from barriers, stuffed in like sardines, people would chat more and, supposedly, come up with lots of brilliant new ideas". Thankfully the author also quickly refuted that. Yet the insanity remains,…

I think I'd have a less negative reaction if people actually had a decent amount of personal space in these floorplans. In the photo at the top of the article, two people could scarcely yawn and stretch at the same time without making physical contact. If you're towards the end and you want to just take a bathroom break, you'd have to physically weave around people and chairs to get out. My home office that I use for playing video games is nearly as large as that space that houses presumably four working professionals. How is this reasonable? How does anyone think this is a good way of investing in your expensive staff? If this is all the space you can afford, I absolutely sympathize, but maybe at that point it's time to let people work from home.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#92

Post by HelloNurse »

tomp wrote: post #75
scarface74 wrote: post #16

If I could craft the perfect job for me, the one I work at would be it - an intelligent straightforward manager who will speak his mind bluntly and can take it just as well as he can dish it out. He’s mostly concerned with results not whether you kiss his ring. - small company without a lot of bureaucracy -- I have full access to our entire AWS infrastructure - relatively generous PTO - a decent free family health pl…

> Pay is line with the market Presumably pay should / can be lower in a place where you actually want to work for than in a shitty work environment? > up to date with technology and great chances for resume building. What do you mean "up to date with technology"? IMO most "recent" technology is mostly hype and/or vaporware, and as I get more experienced, I see more and more value in old, reliable, well-supported tech…

In line with the market means in line with other workplaces at the same shittiness level. People who tolerate worse conditions should be rewarded with a higher pay; they can want to work somewhere else, but prefer more money and other rewards.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#93

Post by kerkeslager »

SomeOldThrow wrote: post #69
diablerouge wrote: post #62

As someone who started out working in an open office and now works someplace with half-cubes, I honestly prefer the open office. The ability for an open office to foster pair-programming and intense collaboration was a real benefit, though it certainly doesn't suit everyone. On the other hand, the half-cubes have all the same problems with regard to distractions, but are also major hindrances to working together in m…

> The ability for an open office to foster pair-programming and intense collaboration was a real benefit, though it certainly doesn't suit everyone. How much of your day do you spend in intense collaboration?

I've been at companies where I spent perhaps 7 out of 8 hour in a day pair programming, and it was the most productive I've ever been.

As the parent comment said, it's not for everyone. Nothing is for everyone--there are many different work styles.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#94

Post by marsrover »

For some reason everywhere I’ve ever worked the POs get offices and devs don’t. Why are we treated like sweat shop workers? Why don’t devs get their own offices? We are paid so much money but have to sit in open offices or cubes like call center workers.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#95

Post by goatinaboat »

scarface74 wrote: post #16

If I could craft the perfect job for me, the one I work at would be it - an intelligent straightforward manager who will speak his mind bluntly and can take it just as well as he can dish it out. He’s mostly concerned with results not whether you kiss his ring. - small company without a lot of bureaucracy -- I have full access to our entire AWS infrastructure - relatively generous PTO - a decent free family health pl…

If it’s the perfect job why do you want to pad your CV with junk? Why not pick some stable tech and take the opportunity to get really deeply into it? The only reason to chase buzzwords is if you plan to leave soon!

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#96

Post by scarface74 »

tomp wrote: post #75
scarface74 wrote: post #16

If I could craft the perfect job for me, the one I work at would be it - an intelligent straightforward manager who will speak his mind bluntly and can take it just as well as he can dish it out. He’s mostly concerned with results not whether you kiss his ring. - small company without a lot of bureaucracy -- I have full access to our entire AWS infrastructure - relatively generous PTO - a decent free family health pl…

> Pay is line with the market Presumably pay should / can be lower in a place where you actually want to work for than in a shitty work environment? > up to date with technology and great chances for resume building. What do you mean "up to date with technology"? IMO most "recent" technology is mostly hype and/or vaporware, and as I get more experienced, I see more and more value in old, reliable, well-supported tech…

Presumably pay should / can be lower in a place where you actually want to work for than in a shitty work environment?

My major want is to get money deposited into my account. I'm at an age where I need to focus on building wealth. But that's the other dilemma -- I could go into working for a consulting company as a "digital transformation consultant"/"cloud consultant" where I would be travelling or working from home a lot, but that doesn't excite me either -- thus I stay where I am until I can make up my mind.

What do you mean "up to date with technology"? IMO most "recent" technology is mostly hype and/or vaporware, and as I get more experienced, I see more and more value in old, reliable, well-supported technology. I mean, I'm not dissing on all new tech (Rust?), just saying that just being "new" doesn't make it also "good".

"Up to date with market" and "resume building". The only "value" I get out of any technology is the ability for it to get money deposited into my account. "Old reliable, well supported technology" doesn't get recruiters beating down your door. At 45, I can't afford not to be competitive and keeping up with new technology and then whine about "ageism"

I don't care about Rust or any other new technology until I see it appearing on a lot of job reqs.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#97

Post by AgloeDreams »

kerkeslager wrote: post #84

The best office layout is the office layout that fits the needs of the people working in it. Open offices aren't a dead end. I work really well in open offices. I can barely get any work done in a private office by myself. Yet there are many people who work well in private offices, and would be as non-productive in an open office as I am in a private office. It's obvious that people have different work styles. The pr…

This is hilariously accurate and reasonable from my experiences. Being surrounded by hard working people tends to help some work better.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#98

Post by AlphaSite »

SomeOldThrow wrote: post #69
diablerouge wrote: post #62

As someone who started out working in an open office and now works someplace with half-cubes, I honestly prefer the open office. The ability for an open office to foster pair-programming and intense collaboration was a real benefit, though it certainly doesn't suit everyone. On the other hand, the half-cubes have all the same problems with regard to distractions, but are also major hindrances to working together in m…

> The ability for an open office to foster pair-programming and intense collaboration was a real benefit, though it certainly doesn't suit everyone. How much of your day do you spend in intense collaboration?

Also even if you are collaborating, do you really want to disturb others?

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#99

Post by kerkeslager »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #70

I know this is an odd opinion, but I actually like open offices. It's akin to working in a coffee shop or public space. I listen to music 90%+ time I'm working. I'm either using in-ear or closed-back headphones, so background noise isn't an issue. Having people milling around feels nice to me.

That's not odd at all!

It's entirely predictable that people have different work styles--some will thrive in an open office, and some will thrive in private spaces.

Re: Open offices are a dead end

#100

Post by GoToRO »

Open office, very little productivity. Individual office,a lot of productivity. The employer chooses what it wants. I see open office as a request to slack off. I'm still using 100% of my mental energy, but not on productive stuff.
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