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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

#51

Post by fsloth »

stevesearer wrote: post #39
fsloth wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Open offices lets me be around my colleagues and inspires me to focus on my work and get access to help promptly when I need it. " Actually any co-location scheme allows this, walls or no walls. It's a matter of culture, not of vertical dividers. But I concur, it's a bit over the top to say that "everyone" hates open offices since clearly some people don't. Personally, to me it feels like a quarter suffers, of which…

I run an office design website and I hardly ever see team rooms, which is very surprising and they seem like a good balance between collaborative space and privacy. One of the offices I like to show as an example is Ubiquiti Networks, particularly images 3 and 4 (pardon the link to my own website): http://officesnapshots.com/2014/03/12/ubiquiti-networks-san-...

That huge whole wall whiteboard in the teamroom is awesome.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#52

Post by magicalist »

gnaritas wrote: post #38
dillon wrote: post #22

I think this has been a discussion going on for a long time now. What I believe to be true is it really depends on the person. If you're someone who is self-conscious then yes you'll feel like everyone is judging you all the time. If you have the ability to stay focused on your work without being around colleagues then you should be allowed to work from home. I've worked in open offices, offices with high partitions…

> When I work from home what's stopping me from opening up news or playing video games? Being an adult. Really, do you require a baby sitter to keep you busy?

Given the popularity of site-blocking apps like SelfControl, Freedom etc, yes, many people do need help with this. I don't use them, but I go through quite wide swings between ignoring many distractions to get work done to having trouble getting work done because of all the distractions (just plotting my HN comments alone would probably yield a nice sinusoidal wave).

And I absolutely use a choice of work space to help mediate this. When I used to freelance I had to get out of my apartment and work at a coffee shop to really start my day. Now I often have days where it's fine to work from home, but when I find myself completely distracted from work while at home I go into the office because it's just slightly less acceptable to be goofing off all the time there, and that's just the nudge I need to get into my work for the day.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#53

Post by drwolf »

dillon wrote: post #22

I think this has been a discussion going on for a long time now. What I believe to be true is it really depends on the person. If you're someone who is self-conscious then yes you'll feel like everyone is judging you all the time. If you have the ability to stay focused on your work without being around colleagues then you should be allowed to work from home. I've worked in open offices, offices with high partitions…

Very true. There are both positives and negatives. What we really need is choice. Sometimes I want to code in peace, some times I want to stand and hear what everyone is doing.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#54

Post by brandon »

dillon wrote: post #22

I think this has been a discussion going on for a long time now. What I believe to be true is it really depends on the person. If you're someone who is self-conscious then yes you'll feel like everyone is judging you all the time. If you have the ability to stay focused on your work without being around colleagues then you should be allowed to work from home. I've worked in open offices, offices with high partitions…

I think that the majority of unhappy open-office employees are more upset with distractions than with the lack of privacy.

The widespread application of headphones to "solve" this problem is silly. It does nothing to screen out the visual distraction of working with 40 other people in your sightline, and it cuts you off from meaningful discussions with your direct peers.

I've been happiest in spaces where workgroups of 6-8 people were in large-ish shared offices that broke up sightlines and isolated noise. Doors that close, folks (partially frosted glass or not).

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#55

Post by vegabook »

I can't help thinking this whole trend started with the industry which epitomises the values that our working society holds, that is finance, and the trading floor. I worked on one of these for 15 years - it was fantastic for getting deals done and increasing teamwork when sales, trading, and research all need to work together. Indeed it was when research was moved off the trading floor in around 2005 that I decided to leave, because in that industry, not being "in the thick of it" a huge disadvantage. I think a lot of the open plan idea comes from a misguided view that if trading floors can make so many millions, then they must be extended everywhere.

Now that I have gone back to my coding roots, but still work on a "trading floor" (open plan tech office), I have found myself having to enforce my will to my partners to inform them that I will be working only half day in the office, because my productivity skyrockets as soon as I get home in front of my computer, with nothing to distract me. Luckily, I have the luxury of being able to do this. I believe my productivity in the open plan office is easily less than 50% of what it is at home.

I do not believe that coding is a collaborative activity beyond periodic (twice a week max?) discussions to ensure teamwork. It's an intensely private activity, as is all work which demands high concentration, including writing.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#56

Post by makeitsuckless »

stevesearer wrote: post #39
fsloth wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Open offices lets me be around my colleagues and inspires me to focus on my work and get access to help promptly when I need it. " Actually any co-location scheme allows this, walls or no walls. It's a matter of culture, not of vertical dividers. But I concur, it's a bit over the top to say that "everyone" hates open offices since clearly some people don't. Personally, to me it feels like a quarter suffers, of which…

I run an office design website and I hardly ever see team rooms, which is very surprising and they seem like a good balance between collaborative space and privacy. One of the offices I like to show as an example is Ubiquiti Networks, particularly images 3 and 4 (pardon the link to my own website): http://officesnapshots.com/2014/03/12/ubiquiti-networks-san-...

Those glass walls give me nightmares. I currently work for a company where once in a while I have to spend a whole day in an office with glass walls everywhere. By the end of the day I just want to lock myself in the bathroom, the feeling of constantly being on view and constantly seeing movement drives me completely nuts.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#58

Post by pbhjpbhj »

gnaritas wrote: post #38
dillon wrote: post #22

I think this has been a discussion going on for a long time now. What I believe to be true is it really depends on the person. If you're someone who is self-conscious then yes you'll feel like everyone is judging you all the time. If you have the ability to stay focused on your work without being around colleagues then you should be allowed to work from home. I've worked in open offices, offices with high partitions…

> When I work from home what's stopping me from opening up news or playing video games? Being an adult. Really, do you require a baby sitter to keep you busy?

>what's stopping me from opening up news or playing video games? //

Presumably nothing so long as your performance levels are maintained within the expected parameters. To my mind that's better, goal focussed rather than time focussed.

On the flip side there's probably nothing stopping you from waking up at 2am and doing some productive work for your employer then either.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#59

Post by krschultz »

The ultimate irony of open plan offices is that if you are considerate of your neighbors, you can't actually collaborate in the open part of the office. Every single time I want to talk to someone for an in depth period of time, we almost immediately move to a conference room so we don't disturb the people around us.

If everyone had offices, I would walk into their office and we would not need to move after starting our discussion because we wouldn't be bothering anyone.

I don't see any advantages to an open plan office with more than 1 team in it (i.e. max 10 people) other than cost and startup-chic aesthetics.

Re: Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace

#60

Post by stevesearer »

makeitsuckless wrote: post #56
stevesearer wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I run an office design website and I hardly ever see team rooms, which is very surprising and they seem like a good balance between collaborative space and privacy. One of the offices I like to show as an example is Ubiquiti Networks, particularly images 3 and 4 (pardon the link to my own website): http://officesnapshots.com/2014/03/12/ubiquiti-networks-san-...

Those glass walls give me nightmares. I currently work for a company where once in a while I have to spend a whole day in an office with glass walls everywhere. By the end of the day I just want to lock myself in the bathroom, the feeling of constantly being on view and constantly seeing movement drives me completely nuts.

Glass walls are mostly used to ensure natural light is able to get into the innermost parts of the building. But your nightmare is my joy. This diversity in humans is one of the things which makes creating the idea work environment for all so difficult.
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