Do open-plan offices work anymore?
Sangram Vajre
WSJ Best Selling Author | CEO of GTM Partners | ex @Salesforce @Terminus
Heck yeah! An open plan is great so everyone can see each other and talk. It feels like there’s more energy in the office and a big happy family!
But wait, why are you asking?
As a leader, that might work for you, but maybe not for your team. A 2018 study by a group of Harvard Business School researchers analyzed how the transition to an open workspace affected staff collaboration. It objectively measured the impacts of open-plan offices by using electronic badges and microphones to record employee interactions and track email usage and everything in between.
So what did they find?
Surprisingly, the study found that an open office reduced face-to-face interactions by about 70%. In contrast, email messages increased by 50%. The open architecture seemed to trigger a withdrawal response, where co-workers craved less social contact and chose instead to send emails and instant messages.
As the study’s co-author, Associate Professor Ethan Bernstein, explains: “If you’re sitting in a sea of people, for instance, you might not only work hard to avoid distraction (by, for example, putting on big headphones) but -- because you have an audience at all times -- also feel pressure to look really busy.”
Yikes!
Yep! A trillion-dollar industry has emerged of noise cancellation devices, small one-person portable rooms for calls, need for more conference areas, people working from home more often to get things done and the list goes on.
So what do we do now?
Since you can’t roll back the clock, two ideas seem to be actually working:
- Consider creating pods for teams to work together on a single project or create a dedicated area for quiet work, that way people can be more productive.
- Another option to improve productivity is to take a stroll outside the office to clear your head and have your 1:1’s. This can lead to a deeper conversation.
Learderpoint: Leaders focus on creating a productive environment for their team and not just for themselves.
Question: Does your office plan work for you?
If you are interested in diving deeper, watch this TED talk by Jason Fried on "Why work doesn't happen at work. Fascinating!
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VP of Operations | Apple Box LLC
4 年I just posted today about taking a walk. Good stress reliever and it declutters the mind... from all the open office background noise ??
E-commercer at LinkedIn Pulse
4 年goodday!
I was never a fan of the open plan or cubicles.? I found it distracting. You're on the phone having a serious conversation and someone is laughing in the back ground.? Or, everyone is whispering so the other person can't hear.? Let people work in a way that WORKS for them.
??Retail Real Estate Enthusiast dedicated to improving communities through development and strategic leasing. ??Quarterly columnist for International Retail Magazine with “The Power Of The Pop Up”.
4 年In all open work places I’ve been, those sharing the space don’t usually work together regularly. The responsibilities aren’t complementary to work together. You can learn more by absorbing all that’s discussed in the open but distractions are increased in an open setting.
Now at ONFS
4 年Back in the days of pigs and chickens, I was a firm believer in pig pens. Meaning a room for just the team. For 80% of communication generated by a team is consumed by the team. So that means when you put teams together most of the communication from other teams will be just noise! I was in open class room in 6th grade and have been exposed to open office from time to time in my decades of working. The problems were known decades ago and they are the same problems I see today. This is one reason for the push to work from home. Since I am getting emails and IM's anyways, communication is the same. However, I can control the noise factor and I do not have to deal with fishbowl syndrome where you feel like everyone is watching you. Lower costs is the driving force for open office!