Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
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Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
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Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#2Things are getting so insane that even some top universities have open-plan offices. Am I supposed to prove theorems or to write Lisp in such an environment? Seriously?
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#3Open floorplans are worse than cubicles. Not worse than four people crammed into a sweaty two-person cubicle, but worse than 1-2 people in a cubicle. Significantly, obviously worse.
We've gone from half-walls to no walls.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#4Absolutely agree, especially for think-intensive things like software development where "flow" is so important. Closed offices are marginally more expensive but the productivity improvements massively outweigh the investment.
The lack of privacy is just uncomfortable. It always feels like you're being watched, even if you're not.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#5counterpoint: https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-new-science-of-building-great-te...
edit: In summary, the more pairwise interactions between people your team has, the more likely they are to be a productive, successful team. Open office plans lend themselves to more serendipitous interactions between people.
My 2c, is that open office vs closed office is simply a matter of tradeoffs. It seems easier to 'opt-out' of distractions (by putting on headphones) than 'opt-in' to interaction (by say wandering the halls talking to random people in their cubes.) People who complain about open offices probably are complaining about a culture where an open office results in distraction, not the office itself. If you have a culture where people can be sitting next to you but can signal they shouldn't be interrupted, or there is ample quiet space for private work to be done, you can have the best of both worlds.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#6google is also aiming at recreating the frat environment for their 20-something workforce. apples and oranges.
I'd lean more on private space for every team working on a single deliverable, but that's just my preference.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#7Things are getting so insane that even some top universities have open-plan offices. Am I supposed to prove theorems or to write Lisp in such an environment? Seriously?
I saw an anecdote on a different thread here yesterday saying that assistant professors are basically becoming managers. Their job is to write grant proposals and have meetings with other faculty and staff all day, and navigate the political systems of academia in order to secure approvals and funding, while their graduate students do all the actual research work.
I don't doubt that at all, and to me it would explain why university offices are trending toward open-plan. Managers tend to like open-plan.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#8I got a lot more done than I expected when I worked in an open office. Not as much as I would have liked, but it wasn't a complete wash.
That said, for productivity, nothing beats being able to close my door and put on headphones in my current office.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#9Open offices are an immense waste. Guess much work I get done when the five people near me have visitors resulting in three separate concurrent discussions? I already have Bose noise cancelling headphones. They are amazing, but cannot be expected to stop that level of interruption.
I have a strong work ethic. The productivity loss actually makes me sad. It's a waste of my employer's money, the customer's money, and everyone's time. Just let me be productive. Please.
Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace
#10I've never worked in anything other than open plan offices. Some are definitely better than others. The worst are offices without breakaway spaces, which cause impromptu meetings to happen at desks, which can be immensely distracting.
On the other hand, I have found that open plan offices can be a boon when working in small teams. One arrangement I remember quite fondly had groups of 4 desks in an X configuration with L shaped desks. We were working 4 to a team and it was a friendly and cooperative environment. The L shaped desks were also significantly roomier than I've encountered elsewhere.
I should note that my experience is in London, where I suspect there's a greater premium on floorspace than in many other places.