“Today we moved into our new Facebook building”

Post by JohnBooty » Tue, Mar 31, 2015, 1:39 PM UTC

electronvolt wrote: post #377

VLM wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"However the "collaboration" that takes place in these types of offices is just wheel spinning and time wasting." I enjoyed how you phrased that. I work at a giant multinational and yes yes I know all about the stereotype that innovation only comes from the tiny little startups on HN, but innovation flows both ways, like it or not, and over the last decade one megacorp major cultural shift I've seen is collaboration…

This is interesting to me, because I work at a large company and I've found it to be orchestrated slightly differently. If you want/need something done here, the fastest way is to set up a face to face appointment and put yourself in someone else's calendar. If you don't, things will drag on for months of email back and forth. If you do, things might last two hours, you'll probably leave with a solid plan, and then u…

Post by JohnBooty » Tue, Mar 31, 2015, 1:41 PM UTC

leroy_masochist wrote: post #373

JohnBooty wrote: post #160

I would literally switch jobs (and perhaps careers, if every company was like this) if forced to work in an open office like this. I cannot work that way; I can't focus. I realize that I'm adding nothing constructive to this thread; I don't care. Maybe some manager somewhere will see this and a hundred other anecdotal opinions and think twice about open offices. I am the opposite of a prima donna. I just want to work…

I'm in strong agreement with JohnBooty's comment. That said, we might bear in mind that not all open offices are created equal, and perhaps a better way of thinking about this is not just a binary "do I get my own office" but also in terms of square feet per employee. 6 people sharing 800 square feet is pretty nice, and you can actually have semi-private phone conversations in a space like that just due to the distan…

Post by Lawtonfogle » Tue, Mar 31, 2015, 1:45 PM UTC

martin-adams wrote: post #342

drewg123 wrote: post #246

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I work as a fairly senior SWE at Google, coming off 20+ years with private offices (some of that time full-time remote), and I agree with everything you said. I knew it would be hard going into the job. I actually get up at 5am so I can have a few quiet hours at my desk before the rest of the folks show up & it turns into a total zoo.

As a freelancer who works with a variety of teams, it is very hard getting a moment to 'get my own work done'. I also have a young daughter, and while she didn't say the following, I keep thinking about it to give me a slap in the face of perspective. Child: Daddy, will you play wit me? Dad: Sorry, I can't I have things to finish off from work. Child: Why don't you do it when you're at work?

Post by JohnBooty » Tue, Mar 31, 2015, 1:45 PM UTC

isaacdl wrote: post #369

qq66 wrote: post #300

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I know of people who wear headphones at work not playing any music, just as a signal to other people not to disturb them.

I've done this for years, even working on homework in my college cafeteria or other public space. It's actually an interesting social phenomenon: if I'm sitting at a table surrounded by textbooks, notes, and my laptop, people have absolutely no problem coming up and starting a conversation; if I'm sitting at an empty table with nothing but a plate of food in front of me, but with headphones in, not a soul will distur…

Post by tomjen3 » Tue, Mar 31, 2015, 1:55 PM UTC

qq66 wrote: post #302

JohnBooty wrote: post #262

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This is fascinating to hear. I'm curious: did the open-plan office have private spaces available for when you needed them? > I now make it a point to walk around the halls and > drop in on people who are open to it (green status > light on the door). That's funny and interesting that they have actual lights on their doors. When I ran my own consulting thing and worked from home a lot (often at odd hours) my partner a…

Not everyone has them, they're called the "Blynclight." They just sit outside your door and light up with the same color as your status in Microsoft Lync (red = busy, yellow = away, green = available). If you're in a Lync meeting, or on the phone, or have set "do not disturb," your light will be red.