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Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

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Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#21

Post by headcanon »

sotojuan wrote: post #9

I think the biggest problem with open floor spaces is that they include the sales/marketing teams, most of whom (in my experience) speak on the phone or with each other all day. Sometimes, believe it or not, on speaker. I don't mind working with fellow engineers in the same table in a quiet room every now and then. It's when you have no escape to work in quiet focus that it becomes a problem.

Yeah, we have sales and marketing on a different floor - A year ago we were all on the same floor before we expanded upstairs, and it was pretty insane!

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#22

Post by divbit »

headcanon wrote: post #19
thesmallestcat wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to have to wear headphones.

For what its worth, I actually don't most of the time. A bit of ambient chatter doesn't really bother me, however that is of course down to personal preference. We try to accommodate people's working habits, but the floor I'm on is relatively quiet since its all technical folks (we have the sales people on another floor where they can chat away)

A single person / noise source is super distracting, but ambient chatter is wonderful

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#23

Post by [deleted] »

divbit wrote: post #22
headcanon wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what its worth, I actually don't most of the time. A bit of ambient chatter doesn't really bother me, however that is of course down to personal preference. We try to accommodate people's working habits, but the floor I'm on is relatively quiet since its all technical folks (we have the sales people on another floor where they can chat away)

A single person / noise source is super distracting, but ambient chatter is wonderful

[deleted]

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#24

Post by DashRattlesnake »

divbit wrote: post #22
headcanon wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what its worth, I actually don't most of the time. A bit of ambient chatter doesn't really bother me, however that is of course down to personal preference. We try to accommodate people's working habits, but the floor I'm on is relatively quiet since its all technical folks (we have the sales people on another floor where they can chat away)

A single person / noise source is super distracting, but ambient chatter is wonderful

> but ambient chatter is wonderful

I respectfully disagree. Maybe it's OK if the chatter is indistinct and unintelligible, but if you're in an open plan office it's likely that some of the chatter is from your neighbors.

The only thing more distracting than a single conversation next to you is two separate nearby conversations next to you.

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#25

Post by divbit »

DashRattlesnake wrote: post #24
divbit wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A single person / noise source is super distracting, but ambient chatter is wonderful

> but ambient chatter is wonderful I respectfully disagree. Maybe it's OK if the chatter is indistinct and unintelligible, but if you're in an open plan office it's likely that some of the chatter is from your neighbors. The only thing more distracting than a single conversation next to you is two separate nearby conversations next to you.

Fair enough - and I expect it probably varies by individual. I would strongly wager that I get more done at a coffee shop, or some place with a low buzz, than sitting alone at my house - as long as the conversation isn't directly at me. I do bring some high quality over ear headphones with me in case it gets temporarily loud though.

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#26

Post by divbit »

divbit wrote: post #25
DashRattlesnake wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but ambient chatter is wonderful I respectfully disagree. Maybe it's OK if the chatter is indistinct and unintelligible, but if you're in an open plan office it's likely that some of the chatter is from your neighbors. The only thing more distracting than a single conversation next to you is two separate nearby conversations next to you.

Fair enough - and I expect it probably varies by individual. I would strongly wager that I get more done at a coffee shop, or some place with a low buzz, than sitting alone at my house - as long as the conversation isn't directly at me. I do bring some high quality over ear headphones with me in case it gets temporarily loud though.

Basically I think that as long as the conversation is interspersed / mixed enough that I can't easily understand what people are talking about, then I think it's not thought disruptive, and even beneficial in that case - I agree when people are talking loud / clear enough that you are basically a third listener in their conversation that it can be less than ideal.

Re: Dear recruiter, “open floor space” is not a job benefit

#27

Post by notacoward »

Open-plan offices are inherently age-ist. It's well known that older adults have more trouble identifying the location of sounds, discriminating between foreground and background sounds (dynamic range), etc. This means that someone talking elsewhere in the office seems just like someone talking right in their ear, requiring a conscious effort to block it out or concentrate on the person who is actually talking right in front of them. A noise level that wouldn't bother young people at all can thus be quite harmful to older people's productivity, putting them at a disadvantage and effectively "filtering them out" of many workplaces. It's only a matter of time before some of the people now singing the praises of open workspaces start filing lawsuits regarding those very same workspaces, as each position suits their personal interests.
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