Are open-plan offices better than their reputation?

Post Reply New Topic

I prefer my own office if given the choice, but when you are new at a job being in an open office has some pluses. Ideally I would like to be around people maybe part of the day and then be able to work on my own part of the day in a very quiet office (classical music at a low volume or a jazz station is often ok).

There are some work environments where open plan offices make sense, and there are environments where they don't. Environments where ad-hoc communication, shared information, and rapid response are necessary do very well in open-plan workspaces. Environments that are more individually oriented, where constant communication isn't necessary and constantly sharing information is a distraction do very poorly in an open plan environment.

I know where you're coming from. When you have someone else peering down your neck all day, it does serve as motivation to keep your mind on task. That said, I would never want to work in a cubicle. I'm able to get my work done in my office just fine. At home it can be challenging because there are so many distractions around to take your mind off of work.