Anyone else hate open plan offices?

Post Reply New Topic

No matter how much I hate "cubicles," I hate the "open plan" even more!

I thought a cube farm was different to open plan?
As in you get walls?

Yes, you are right. Open plan is worse, because there aren't the barriers...

But, that doesn't mean I can't hate cubes with a fiery passion as well.

So cube farms are still noisy? yeah that sucks

proabably cant wear headphones with most cube jobs?

OMG, yes!

It's only been two hours since our 6 new coworkers were moved in next to us and I already want to gouge my ears out from all of the extra talking.

Nope. No headphones. I wore some one day here, while I was trying to track down some buggy code (I'm the only IT person in the department), and got chewed out for it. I was told 'you can listen to music with one headphone on, but, the execs don't like to see people be so closed off and disengaged'.
I tried explaining that it's not music, it's a white-noise app so I can concentrate, but, I got that look like I had lobsters crawling out of my eyes.

Granted, I've been in cube farms that aren't quite as bad, if they've got thicker and/or higher walls... but, those are kind of hard to find these days. The modern ones are typically lower and lighter weight (cheaper and faster to assemble).

And in today's edition of 'I wish I'd never left my basement'...

My four closest new cube neighbors just leaned over my wall this morning and asked if I minded music while I work, and how did I feel about country or classic rock?
I tried not to answer, they said 'hey, we all have to work together, we really want to know how you feel.'
I said I loved both types of music, but, really prefer not to have any playing while I work.
I was outvoted. 'Let's just try it and see how it is.'

Whiskey tango foxtrot would you ask me if I mind, then go ahead and do it anyway? Why bother asking? Seems more rude to me to ask and proceed anyway than to just do it in the first place.

~heavy sigh~ And now they know I'm not like them. That didn't take long.

wow, I love these work stories (when they are not happening to me )
I would have said I liked classic rock but not country,

If I had to listen to country music all day I would commit suicide
and science confirms it
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2579974

Most of it is bloody depressing, or it's the cheerful kind...which is even worse.

They were talking about the cheerful kind on Key and Peele

I really do like all types of music (except techno)... but, I'm going to give that link to my Mom (she only listens to country ).

Anyway, so, I get home and my husband complained about his work, I decided to share this complaint to him.
He... thinks I'm crazy. ~sighs~

At least it's nice and quiet in the morning before they all get in.

No hate. I try to think of it as a practicality thing. Advantage of unemployment is having a quiet, private office with a door that closes and a bed nearby for napping. Programming productivity goes really well in that environment.

Employed in an office environment? Cubicles, background chatter, tinny radios, and coffee machines. My productivity falls to unacceptably low levels. It's just the way that works. Objects set in certain environments get certain results.

I'm working now in openspace for 80+ employees without any single partition. That's insane - really noisy around and everybody is seeing each other every moment. Much more than this daily carnival around I'd prefer single office let it even be small.