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Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
61–70 of 86 posts
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#62There no point comparing a library to a work open space. Please, tell me what is the point to go physically at work in an open space instead of doing remote work if it is to have the rules of a library? Not interacting with colleagues, not calling, not listening others speaking to know what is currently going on the company...
You can still go into separate rooms when you need to talk to other people.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Very few people get to actually try out the cell. Cubicles aren't offices. They're wire cages for moneys at the zoo. Never having worked in a cubicle, I wonder: don't those dividers actually help a bit with noise? Sure, I don't expect them to be individual-office level quiet, but still better than fully open. I used to work in a building where one "open-office" had dividers mounted on the desks, reaching about the…
These days everyone spends their in-office time on zoom calls with their coworkers, and no amount of blankets dividing the workspace is able to absorb the constant "You're on mute Bob" that fills the office air.
What's the rational behind coming in at that point?
When I was in an office, my team was co-located, so we rarely needed a call. Currently my team is mutually remote without an office, so we zoom our preferred environment.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Who will be the library nazi that kicks you out when you talk too loudly?
We don't need to refer to a librarian that way. Yeah, I know, Seinfeld did it. It isn't funny or interesting. It is a cliché. Let's try to choose our language so that our history and language can hold onto meanings that matter. There is a Star Trek TNG episode called Darmok that describes a culture that only speaks in metaphor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darmok Surely we have a better metaphor for a meek but power…
Librariarch?
Library + https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-arch
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe it about open plan vs private offices, but this is a comparison between offices in general and libraries (which have effectively zero collaboration)
> libraries (which have effectively zero collaboration) Have you never studied with other people together at a library? Most of my time spent in library during high school and university was spent working together on assignments or studying in groups for exams. It's not just me, whenever I go to my local libraries, they're always full of students studying (many studying in groups).
It's not unusual to have small rooms that groups can use to work together in a library. But in my experience with large libraries, the main reading rooms are pretty quiet and don't have groups speaking more than a token amount.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#66There no point comparing a library to a work open space. Please, tell me what is the point to go physically at work in an open space instead of doing remote work if it is to have the rules of a library? Not interacting with colleagues, not calling, not listening others speaking to know what is currently going on the company...
> Please, tell me what is the point to go physically at work in an open space instead of doing remote work if it is to have the rules of a library?
What's the point of physically going to work if it's not optimized for work? What's the point of commuting if my job is done better at home?
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
These days everyone spends their in-office time on zoom calls with their coworkers, and no amount of blankets dividing the workspace is able to absorb the constant "You're on mute Bob" that fills the office air.
What's the rational behind coming in at that point? When I was in an office, my team was co-located, so we rarely needed a call. Currently my team is mutually remote without an office, so we zoom our preferred environment.
Sometimes a bunch of us meet at the office to work together on something that needs a lot of back and forth, like a brainstorm session. And to socialize during lunch. If independent work is needed then we’re all at home.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very few people get to actually try out the cell. Cubicles aren't offices. They're wire cages for moneys at the zoo. We should try having more actual offices before we declare it equal but different to the elementrary school recess that are open office plans.
> Very few people get to actually try out the cell. Cubicles aren't offices. They're wire cages for moneys at the zoo. Never having worked in a cubicle, I wonder: don't those dividers actually help a bit with noise? Sure, I don't expect them to be individual-office level quiet, but still better than fully open. I used to work in a building where one "open-office" had dividers mounted on the desks, reaching about the…
I think quiet is a proxy measure for “safe and secluded”. In every actual office I’ve been fortunate enough to have, I arranged my desk to face the door and, with the door closed, not only did I get quiet but I also got “cannot be snuck up upon”.
I think there’s a primal aspect to how deeply you are willing to block out your local environment and let your mind go deep on a problem that relates to how safe/secure that environment feels.
Noise is just the most obvious annoyance to talk about, but I don’t think it’s primarily about the noise.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very few people get to actually try out the cell. Cubicles aren't offices. They're wire cages for moneys at the zoo. We should try having more actual offices before we declare it equal but different to the elementrary school recess that are open office plans.
> Very few people get to actually try out the cell. Cubicles aren't offices. They're wire cages for moneys at the zoo. Never having worked in a cubicle, I wonder: don't those dividers actually help a bit with noise? Sure, I don't expect them to be individual-office level quiet, but still better than fully open. I used to work in a building where one "open-office" had dividers mounted on the desks, reaching about the…
Tall-walled cubicles did give you some separation. While managers (generally) had offices they were mostly for 1.) status, 2.) a bit more space, and 3.) to give them somewhere they could easily have a private conversation. The cultural expectation was doors open unless there was some specific reason not to. In practice the focus difference between offices and cubes wasn't all that great.
Re: Libraries – how companies do not understand open spaces
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
These days everyone spends their in-office time on zoom calls with their coworkers, and no amount of blankets dividing the workspace is able to absorb the constant "You're on mute Bob" that fills the office air.
What's the rational behind coming in at that point? When I was in an office, my team was co-located, so we rarely needed a call. Currently my team is mutually remote without an office, so we zoom our preferred environment.
A lot of people do a combination of working with people locally and having with calls with people, possibly in different groups, who are elsewhere. When I was a product manager I met with many people who were in the office and we'd typically do that in person. (At that time, anyone local came in.) But I probably also spent hours every day on the phone with field people and others who weren't in the same location.