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It s not just loud and sniffly, open offices are actually hurting our brains.
Now some businesses are bringing back walls and doors.
By Bryan Borzykowski
11 January 2017
Four years ago, Chris Nagele did what many other technology executives have
done before he moved his team into an open concept office.
His staff had been exclusively working from home, but he wanted everyone to be
together, to bond and collaborate more easily. It quickly became clear, though,
that Nagele had made a huge mistake. Everyone was distracted, productivity
suffered and the nine employees were unhappy, not to mention Nagele himself.
Whether it's noisy personal phone calls or constant interruptions, most of us
have been victims of the open office. Share your stories with us on Facebook.
In April 2015, about three years after moving into the open office, Nagele
moved the company into a 10,000-square foot office where everyone now has their
own space complete with closing doors.
We re 15% less productive, we have immense trouble concentrating and we re
twice as likely to get sick in open working spaces
Numerous companies have embraced the open office about 70% of US offices are
open concept and by most accounts, very few have moved back into traditional
spaces with offices and doors. But research that we re 15% less productive, we
have immense trouble concentrating and we re twice as likely to get sick in
open working spaces, has contributed to a growing backlash against open
offices.
Since moving, Nagele himself has heard from others in technology who say they
long for the closed office lifestyle. Many people agree they can t stand the
open office, he says. They never get anything done and have to do more work
at home.
Small distractions can cause us to lose focus for upwards of 20 minutes
It s unlikely that the open office concept will go away anytime soon, but some
companies are following Nagele s example and making a return to private spaces.
The more focus the better
There s one big reason we d all love a space with four walls and a door that
shuts: focus. The truth is, we can t multitask and small distractions can cause
us to lose focus for upwards of 20 minutes.
What s more, certain open spaces can negatively impact our memory. This is
especially true for hotdesking, an extreme version of open plan working where
people sit wherever they want in the work place, moving their equipment around
with them.
We retain more information when we sit in one spot, says Sally Augustin, an
environmental and design psychologist in La Grange Park, Illinois. It s not so
obvious to us each day, but we offload memories often little details into
our surroundings, she says.
We retain more information when we sit in one spot
These details which could be anything from a quick idea we wanted to share to
a colour change on a brochure we re working on can only be recalled in that
setting.
We don t collaborate like we think
For many of us, it s the noise that disturbs us the most. Professors at the
University of Sydney found that nearly 50% of people with a completely open
office floorplan, and nearly 60% of people in cubicles with low walls, are
dissatisfied with their sound privacy. Only 16% of people in private offices
said the same.
They asked people in various office types how dissatisfied they were with their
space and in 14 different respects, including temperature, air quality and
sound privacy, closed fared better than open.
People do talk to each other more, but they don t talk to each other more about
work-related things
Beside the cheaper cost, one main argument for the open workspace is that it
increases collaboration. However, it s well documented that we rarely
brainstorm brilliant ideas when we re just shooting the breeze in a crowd.
Instead, as many of us know, we re more likely to hear about the Christmas gift
a colleague is buying for a family member, or problems with your deskmate s
spouse.
People do talk to each other more, but they don t talk to each other more
about work-related things, says Augustin. Think about it: if you work in an
open office, you ll book a meeting room to brainstorm. It s still an act that
requires some level of planning and privacy.
And it turns out our best work is done when we have total focus, says Augustin.
We can work in a busy space, but the final product won t be as good as if we
are in a quiet locale.
It s a shame to waste people by not giving them a place that supports what they
actually do
[It s] inefficient, she says. It s a shame to waste people by not giving
them a place that supports what they actually do.
Of course, she says, it s important for us to bond and to get to know each
other. But there are plenty of ways to bond in closed offices. Nagele s team,
for instance, eats lunch together every day. A few ideas come out of lunch time
chats, he says, but most are developed from more focused brainstorming
sessions.
Finding the right balance
For jobs that require focus, like writing, advertising, financial planning and
computer programming, some companies that aren t ready to ditch open plans are
experimenting with quiet rooms and closed spaces.
Some of us even feel that escaping to a quiet room is a sign of weakness
The trouble with that, is some of us don t feel comfortable leaving the team to
go off on our own it can feel as if we re not pulling our weight if we re not
present. That s particularly true in high-pressure environments. Some of us
even feel that escaping to a quiet room is a sign of weakness, Augustin says.
Other companies are creating closed spaces for smaller teams. Ryan Mullenix, a
partner with NBBJ, a global architecture firm ,has worked with tech firms that
have built offices for between three and 16 people.
They can still collaborate, but they can also block out noise from other teams
of people they don t need to hear from. Technology can also help. Mullenix s
own office has sensors, placed 10 feet apart, that can track noise, temperature
and population levels. Staff can log on to an app and can find the quietest
spot in the room.
People can now do focused work and they have more time to work
Against the grain
Some of us thrive in open offices. Those who do repetitive tasks represent one
group. Another: more junior employees. For them, it s easier to learn by
watching how others work. If new-to-work staff get their own office from the
start, they may lose focus and perform at a lower level, Augustin says.
The bad news for unhappy open-office dwellers: the concept isn t going away any
time soon. But, says Nagele, more companies should consider what he s found.
His employees are happier and more productive and that helps not just the
company, but the team.
People can now do focused work and they have more time to work, he says.
That s helped everyone s mindset.