Open Office Layout Is Only Good for Headphone Producers
Many of the workplaces in Dublin prefer cubicle-free open layout style of design. This contemporary design saves a lot of space for businesses and supposedly it should increase collaboration and creativity, but there are a lot of problems that come with this kind of layout.
It Is Very Loud
If your task in hand requires a certain level of concentration to be completed, you most probably are looking for a quiet environment. Many of us would agree that open office layout is much louder than a cubicle kind of environment. I think there are two reasons for that. First of all, noise echoes around much more freely. Secondly, your colleague who used to be in another physical space is sitting right next to you and might prefer to talk with you straight away instead of slacking or emailing — which ends up with much more needless conversation happening. As a result of increased sound, many people are purchasing active sound-cancelling headphones these days.
Sickness Is Spreading Like a Plague
In an open office, germs are everywhere. If someone is sick in the office, best of luck protecting yourself from getting sick. (source)
People Are Walking Around You All the Time
It depends on the position of your desk, but if your desk is close to a walking path in the office, it is very difficult to concentrate because you will feel constantly alerted by people walking around you. I think our brains are wired in a way that if someone is behind us or staring at our screen, it makes us uncomfortable. (There are some studies that support this belief — you can find them if you just have a quick Google for “gaze detection”.)
Conclusion
There are some scientific studies conducted about open offices that are accessible to the public, and most of them don’t seem to favour the open office space. They are designed to save space and foster conversations with colleagues, but when we consider their positive and negative impacts, cons seem to outweigh the pros. New sets of products are emerging to reduce the distracting effect of open layout offices — such as Panasonic’s human blinkers or the isolation helmet designed by Hochu Rayu. We could overcome all these issues by simply allowing people to work from home for some days. However, I feel that is a topic for another blog post.