For my last open-office gig, it was 100% necessary because every salesperson worked with a junior, and you had to listen to them all the time to teach them.
That looks quiet and positively spacious compared to the last open office environment I did time in.
Imagine that same space but 4 people between the column and the window instead of just 2. Then make the space 3x as long. Then reduce the space between the backs of the chairs by 50%.
Even though everyone in the space was doing individual programming / sysadmin work, the space was extremely loud just from a few spontaneous conversations between people working on the same thing together. Everyone wore headphones nearly all the time, only taking them off if they needed to talk / shout to the people near them about something. Often, if you needed to talk with someone sitting 4 desks away, the easiest way to do it was over IM.
Nope, just a massively overcrowded office building. The ventilation system could barely keep up. But, management made it clear to us that the reason for the open office layout was to encourage collaboration and foster creativity!
Where I worked, it was just six wooden tables with computers on them. It was awful. They didn’t have room for cubicles, so it was pretty much the only option, but that didn’t make it any less awful.
How anyone gets any work done at all with a single monitor is beyond me, actually no, I know the answer is they don’t.
I’m an IT manager and have advocated for at least dual monitor at every workstation for a decade. Every time we’ve transitioned a department to dual we’ve seen significant productivity jumps well worth the $100 per station it costs.
I have no idea. I barely prefer working from home be the office because my desk at home has 3x 24" 1080 and a 32" 4k. Vs driving 100miles one way to the office to sit at 2 monitors, I can get so much more done at home
It was designed to pack more people into an office plan. The open workspace has been proven to be ineffective, but it makes people more money, therefore it’s everywhere
At least that open office has carpet. I’ve seen open offices with concrete or tile floors and walls. Those kind of offices are hell to be in. If a small group starts talking that sounds bounces around the room and then everyone has to talk louder because they can’t hear each other. And managers are surprised that everyone wears headphones or don’t want to be in the office at all.
I’m starting at new office with that policy. I’m already scoping out the single desks. It’s kind of nice being able to ask people questions, but I’d rather just use webx these days.
I feel this in my soul.
Still better than the open office concept though. It’s like it was designed to be cruel and stupid.
I worked open office on a contract job one time that lasted a week and I could not WAIT to see that place in my rear view mirror.
Open office and bench seating were designed to increase surveillance, so of course they feel awful
For my last open-office gig, it was 100% necessary because every salesperson worked with a junior, and you had to listen to them all the time to teach them.
Bench seating? Are you fucking kidding me? If I went for an interview and I saw that everyone had to sit on benches, I’d be out of there.
Lol I don’t mean literal benches. Bench seating is the worst type of open seating, in which all the desks are aligned in rows that look like benches
Thank goodness for that!
That looks quiet and positively spacious compared to the last open office environment I did time in.
Imagine that same space but 4 people between the column and the window instead of just 2. Then make the space 3x as long. Then reduce the space between the backs of the chairs by 50%.
Even though everyone in the space was doing individual programming / sysadmin work, the space was extremely loud just from a few spontaneous conversations between people working on the same thing together. Everyone wore headphones nearly all the time, only taking them off if they needed to talk / shout to the people near them about something. Often, if you needed to talk with someone sitting 4 desks away, the easiest way to do it was over IM.
God damn did you work in a giant shipping container?
Nope, just a massively overcrowded office building. The ventilation system could barely keep up. But, management made it clear to us that the reason for the open office layout was to encourage collaboration and foster creativity!
Of course! That’s what every call center needs where you go by the script! Collaboration and creativity.
This wasn’t a call center, it was a sysadmin / software development
sweatshopworkspace.Where I worked, it was just six wooden tables with computers on them. It was awful. They didn’t have room for cubicles, so it was pretty much the only option, but that didn’t make it any less awful.
How anyone gets any work done at all with a single monitor is beyond me, actually no, I know the answer is they don’t.
I’m an IT manager and have advocated for at least dual monitor at every workstation for a decade. Every time we’ve transitioned a department to dual we’ve seen significant productivity jumps well worth the $100 per station it costs.
I have no idea. I barely prefer working from home be the office because my desk at home has 3x 24" 1080 and a 32" 4k. Vs driving 100miles one way to the office to sit at 2 monitors, I can get so much more done at home
It was designed to pack more people into an office plan. The open workspace has been proven to be ineffective, but it makes people more money, therefore it’s everywhere
At least that open office has carpet. I’ve seen open offices with concrete or tile floors and walls. Those kind of offices are hell to be in. If a small group starts talking that sounds bounces around the room and then everyone has to talk louder because they can’t hear each other. And managers are surprised that everyone wears headphones or don’t want to be in the office at all.
I’m starting at new office with that policy. I’m already scoping out the single desks. It’s kind of nice being able to ask people questions, but I’d rather just use webx these days.