Open-office plans can be very attractive. Rather than having everyone stuff in cubicles, open offices seem to let the light in and create an environment ripe for collaboration and a free exchange of ideas.
This is often the case. In one survey, 81 percent of respondents said they believed open-office plans promote improved behaviors, such as better team interaction.
At the same time, there are also complaints about noise and reports of increased sickness in the workplace because of all the shared space. Communication may improve, but what about privacy?
To break down the benefits and drawbacks of the open-office environment Ghergich have broken down the relevant research in the infographic below. Is the open-office plan right for you?
NB – if you cannot read the text, click the image and in most browsers it should pop out. Click again to enlarge.
Image source: http://blog.surepayroll.com/open-office-plans-pros-cons/
I hate working in my own office and much prefer open plan which has been the norm at every organisation I’ve worked for. Here, even the CTO and CMO have moved into the open plan office and their old office is used as a meeting room.
I’ve seen too many circumstances where the open office is completely wrong for the work being done. Open offices are primarily to benefit the organization by saving space costs, enabling the company to stuff more people into a smaller space. It also benefits the company by enabling quick and less expensive rearrangements of office space. Office space, especially in urban areas, is one of the most costly expenses for a company and they work hard to keep these costs down. Proper space design and utilization should take into account the task at hand, the team dynamics, the location of the team members, as well as efficiencies for the company. One day I’d like to see this actually done somewhere instead of a one-size-fits-all mentality.