
Open offices can lead to closed minds - PretzelFisch
https://www.economist.com/business/2018/07/28/open-offices-can-lead-to-closed-minds
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dang
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17627130](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17627130)

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johnny313
The idea that open offices will increase meaningful interaction has always
seemed strange to me. Usually I find that it makes it impossible to find a
place to actually have a conversation. New "conference rooms" start to appear:
outside tables, wide parts of the hallway, stoarge closets. In one office, I
had to book time in the reception area to have a weekly one on one with my
boss.

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heavyset_go
That's because it's post hoc reasoning to justify a cost-saving measure to
people who have no say in the matter.

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dundercoder
> At the first company, the authors found that face-to-face interactions were
> more than three times higher in the old, cubicle-based office than in an
> open-plan space where employees have clear lines of sight to each other. In
> contrast, the number of e-mails people sent to each other increased by 56%
> when they switched to open-plan. In the second company, face-to-face
> interactions decreased by two-thirds after the switch to open-plan, whereas
> e-mail traffic increased by between 22% and 50%.

This has also been my experience.

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whydoyoucare
I believe cost-cutting was the real-driver and everything else was bravo
sierra. Pretty much everyone in an open office wears a headphone to shut-out
distraction, and prefers emails/chats to face-to-face.

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flocial
Investing in noise cancelling headphones dramatically increased my
productivity and well being. Not just in the office but using them to dampen
urban environmental noises during the commute.

The other side benefit was that it created a nice ritual for getting into the
zone whenever I need to.

I'm sure managers love open offices because they can keep a pulse on office
activities but anything that requires thinking really benefits from less noise
and random intrusions.

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sudhirj
As with most things, the right answer is a combination of things. Cal Newport
describes a plan called the Eudaimonia Machine in the book Deep Work, which
seems it would make a great office space. Offers a open plan for when you need
to do rote work / bookkeeping, and a solo sound proof office when you need to
concentrate. Think the Basecamp office is also built this way, with a central
open plan hub with private offices as spokes.

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ben-schaaf
Sadly this only works when everyone is using a laptop. I can't as easily move
my workstation setup to a solo office whenever I need to concentrate.

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sudhirj
Yeah, that's true. My current setup is an iMac in the concentration room and
an iPad for slack, writing notes and meetings, but that's not going to work
for everyone.

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kochikame
As I type, some guys are having a contentious and noisy meeting to iron out a
few kinks in their application right at the end of my row of desks. So now I'm
killing time on HN until they go away and I can concentrate again.

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joesb
While I'm leaning to open-office and willing to keep this article in mind for
future office set up, some part of the article reminds me how you can use same
event to derive a complete opposite conclusion.

"Open office is a clear message to employees that they are just cogs in the
system". And here I am thinking that cubicle set up is such a message.

"Open office is like a flat". What? I feel cubicle is exactly like a flat.

I like the survey and factual parts of the article. It would go better without
the latter opinionated assertion parts.

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lgleason
I am the most productive in my home office. There I can control the
interruptions, but go into the office when I do need the face to face.

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sys_64738
Home offices are great, especially for ignoring managers.

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BogdanPetre
[http://archive.li/6Jd7s](http://archive.li/6Jd7s)

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sys_64738
Open plan offices lower productivity. You are constantly interrupted by people
who seem to think they’re question is my priority. Please email me as you
don’t need an instant answer. This in particular to dumbass managers who don’t
like being told to get lost.

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scarface74
I hate our open office setup. I usually commandeer our one office to get some
peace and quiet so I can concentrate.

It’s definitely a deal breaker for my next job.

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azhenley
So many studies are finding open offices to be bad for various reasons, but I
can't help but love them. I felt so much more creative and motivated with
people working around me.

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JaceLightning
This is bull. I love open offices. They make conversations happen that would
never would with privacy.

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maxxxxx
To each his own. I think that open office or cubicles kill any kind of
conversation that works for me. I prefer one-on-one or small group discussions
outside the public view. I used to work in small team rooms (2 to 6 people)
and I can say for sure that I had many more good conversations in that setup
compared to the cube farm I am sitting in now. Due to the noise most people
wear headphones making even approaching them awkward.

