Do you work in an "Open Office Space"? 8

[bridgebuster]

In a few months, we’re moving into a new office. It will be the latest fad – the open floor plan; no cubicles and offices. Everyone gets an 18” x 42” table and a 1’x1’x1’ cart on wheels for personal belongings. According to the bean counters who run the company this will make everyone more “collaborative and productive.” Don't hope to have any privacy with a phone call.

It’s similar to the old days when we each had two drafting tables or a desk and a table. However, in this new arrangement there won’t be any bookcases, reference tables, plan files, file cabinets. The management wants as paperless an office as possible. I have 1000’s of reference files in electronic format but there are times when it’s easier to open a book or roll out a set of plans.

I don’t see this as a way of making the staff more productive. It’ll stop people from surfing the net but if someone wants to text the rest room is a good hideout. To me, this is about saving money by jamming more people into less space.

I’d be interested in hearing what those in this type of arrangement think.

 

[UniCO2]

If they really want work to get done - ban smart phones during working hours!

 

[Guest0527211403]

I'm in one of these "fun and exciting" open offices... its definitely not conducive to focused work, especially since my team shares the floor with members of the sales and business dev teams who spend a lot of time speaking on the phone, or even worse, walk around the office while speaking into their bluetooth headsets.

As an alternative to white/pink noise generators, I've actually found this site helpful :

https://coffitivity.com/

. It plays the sound of a busy coffee shop with many background conversations. When there's a few (actual) conversations in the background that are distracting (sales guy making "courtesy calls" aka shooting the s*** with customers), this helps me to not let my focus get drawn into what's being said.

 

[Bernoulli31]

Open office here.. small desks. The only drawings I can spread out are 11x17s. Desks come in pair, forming an U shape, with my colleague in my back facing the opposite way. Between us, a small desk on rolls... to be shared between the two of us!

Management? In closed door offices!

Biggest peeve I have besides the noise is that people assume that since they can see you, you're available for them and will stop whatever it is you're doing to give them your undivided attention.

I design aqueducts in a parallel universe.

 

[WARose]

I worked at one place that did. Get ready to know everyone's business. No private phone calls.

Funny story with that.....I use to work next to a drafter who called his wife every day about 3:30. And he had this deep (and sad) southern drawl (I live in South Carolina).....he started the conversation every time with "Have you fed my boy?" And the typical follow up question was "Why haven't you fed my boy?/What did you feed my boy?"

I finally met the kid once and he looked like he was starving to death. (This was in spite of them feeding him all the time. He had some sort of medical condition.) Well, one day the wife just lost it with him.....and you could hear her over the whole floor. (Loud, redneck woman.) She yelled: "Everyday you call here and ask [imitating him asking the question]. It's like I'm over here slopin' hogs."

So get ready for that kind of stuff. Speaking of food, at the same place, they eventually moved me next to a guy who called his wife every afternoon to review what was for supper. Sort of like that skit on Hee Haw. (I.e. "Grandpa, what's for supper?")

So brace yourself.

 

[Bernoulli31]

speaking of food.... when your coworkers have a hot plate for lunch, like burger n fries. The smell, the smell!!!

I design aqueducts in a parallel universe.

 

[WARose]

speaking of food.... when your coworkers have a hot plate for lunch, like burger n fries. The smell, the smell!!!

Oh yeah.....how about those Lean Cuisine(s)? That stuff might qualify as gas warfare. Any of that microwaveable stuff is just terrible.