No offices...even for executives

[bugandbibs]

I need my own workspace. I don't care if it's on wheels and moves around with me, but damn it I need my own office supplies no one else touches. I buy special color coded stuff that I need to keep organized. I can't imagine.

[derp]

I hate these chirpy assholes that think this shit is a good idea because "collaboration". FUCK OFF.

[laurack]

can't imagine anything worse. I think I'd leave my company. I don't want to look around and just SEE PEOPLE, EVERYWHERE. No thank you. I enjoy my cubicle walls thank you very much.

[laurack]

imagine all the unintentional and awkward eye contact?? aaaaaaahhhhhhhh

[meshaliuknits]

Dec 28, 2015 10:18:21 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I presently work in a temporary office structure that is a trailer. Like a construction trailer. It is open floor plan and I supervise two employees. It is impossible to have personal conversations with them about their work and its very frustrating. Like I have to go on a walk with them to provide feedback in an open and honest manner because otherwise everyone will listen to our conversation in the trailer.

Thankfully our new building will be ready in March and I'll go back to my private office.

That's what I'm in until April while my building is having the walls all knocked out to implement the global open floor plan. It will be a step up from my present set up in that I will have more than one drawer, but it's not going to be awesome. I don't mind the noise. I work better with the hum of people chatting around me enough so that I've offered myself as tribute to sit by the breakroom. It's the stupid low walls and having another head bouncing on the other side of my wall.

Mostly what I've noticed about the buildings with the new set up is that the conference rooms are ALWAYS booked because you can't just pop into someones office/space and discuss something without disturbing someone.

[meshaliuknits]

Dec 28, 2015 12:09:43 GMT -5 1234FIF! said:

I also work in a big HUGE OPEN FISHBOWL-LIKE SPACE where tours come through all of the time (a group of them are staring at me right now).

OMG. Do you need bail money?

[NitaX]

Dec 28, 2015 10:14:19 GMT -5 toledo said:

If open-floor-plan results in everyone wearing noise-cancelling headphones...JUST PUT UP SOME GODDAMN DOORS.

This whole concept drives me insane. People need times of quiet and calm in which to think and work. Collaboration is also important, but you know how we do it? By emailing, by walking to each others' offices, by setting up meetings. Like grownups.

I work with colleagues better when I can get away from them.

God yes. I have a door, but it bugs me when people continually drop by. Especially if I'm concentrating on something that requires, just the right words. Please leave me alone.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I can't imagine the uproar if we move to something like this. About half my team is on the phone almost all day, and we sit near the sales staff, who spend all day on the phone. Cubicles make it difficult sometimes.

[CallingAllAngels]

Dec 28, 2015 13:34:29 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Dec 28, 2015 10:14:19 GMT -5 toledo said:

If open-floor-plan results in everyone wearing noise-cancelling headphones...JUST PUT UP SOME GODDAMN DOORS.

This whole concept drives me insane. People need times of quiet and calm in which to think and work. Collaboration is also important, but you know how we do it? By emailing, by walking to each others' offices, by setting up meetings. Like grownups.

I work with colleagues better when I can get away from them.

God yes. I have a door, but it bugs me when people continually drop by. Especially if I'm concentrating on something that requires, just the right words. Please leave me alone.

Yes, I have a few people in my department that will walk into my office talking to me. It drives me nuts. If I have a question for someone, I walk to their doorway, knock or say excuse me and wait to be acknowledged before I start talking. Interrupting my train of thought like that is so jarring for me.

[joenali]

I used to teach in an open concept school. 25 kids and one teacher in 4 "classrooms" no walls. Not so great.

[penguingrrl]

Dec 28, 2015 13:53:17 GMT -5 joenali said:

I used to teach in an open concept school. 25 kids and one teacher in 4 "classrooms" no walls. Not so great.

My elementary school used to have a big open classroom for all of the 1st and 2nd graders. One huge room, 8 classes, 8 teachers. It was awful. I remember never being able to concentrate on my stuff because of the noise pollution.

[mouse]

Dec 28, 2015 11:38:01 GMT -5 ttt said:

Dec 28, 2015 10:22:40 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

I wonder if this whole notion that it promotes collaboration and is better for the company is a cover for "we just don't want to spend the money" lol.

Ding ding ding!

Study after study has shown that open offices lower productivity and morale and the vast majority of workers hate them. But companies do it because it's cheap.

Once you factor in hiring and training costs (and lost productivity and sick days), is it actually cheap?

I feel like this is egalitarian done wrong. Instead of recognizing that most people need and deserve their own space, in the spirit of breaking down hierarchy, no one gets any space. Wrong direction, people!

[vanillacourage]

We have a pretty open plan and it's stone silent most of the day...because everyone is wearing headphones. The woman who sits 5 feet from me can't hear me if I need to ask a quick question, so I end up IMing her. I don't think this is the collaboration they had in mind. 

[marriedfilingjoint]

Dec 28, 2015 13:53:17 GMT -5 joenali said:

I used to teach in an open concept school. 25 kids and one teacher in 4 "classrooms" no walls. Not so great.

My high school was open-concept, too. I wonder if they have since changed it due to the lockdown culture and whatnot.

All the Big 4 firms were talking about getting rid of offices when I left. I would love to hear how that's working out for them.

[LoveTrains]

Dec 28, 2015 13:09:03 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Dec 28, 2015 10:18:21 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I presently work in a temporary office structure that is a trailer. Like a construction trailer. It is open floor plan and I supervise two employees. It is impossible to have personal conversations with them about their work and its very frustrating. Like I have to go on a walk with them to provide feedback in an open and honest manner because otherwise everyone will listen to our conversation in the trailer.

Thankfully our new building will be ready in March and I'll go back to my private office.

That's what I'm in until April while my building is having the walls all knocked out to implement the global open floor plan. It will be a step up from my present set up in that I will have more than one drawer, but it's not going to be awesome. I don't mind the noise. I work better with the hum of people chatting around me enough so that I've offered myself as tribute to sit by the breakroom. It's the stupid low walls and having another head bouncing on the other side of my wall.

Mostly what I've noticed about the buildings with the new set up is that the conference rooms are ALWAYS booked because you can't just pop into someones office/space and discuss something without disturbing someone.

This trailer wouldn't be so bad if we had a conference room to use. But our conference table is just in open space. My boss actually has an office but the walls are like temporary trailer walls and you can't have a private conversation in there, either. My boss and I will sit in there and whisper and I think people can still hear us. Its ridiculous. 

[Deleted]

Awful, terrible, no good idea! I need my space, assholes! A cube at the very least but a door preferred!

[ijack]

We have like half cubes and it's so hard for me. I have ADHD and am super sensitive to noise and I'm sure this is why I struggle to get things done most of the time. Even with earbuds in and my "concentration" noise on I can still hear all the conversations

[meshaliuknits]

Dec 28, 2015 16:16:06 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Dec 28, 2015 13:09:03 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

That's what I'm in until April while my building is having the walls all knocked out to implement the global open floor plan. It will be a step up from my present set up in that I will have more than one drawer, but it's not going to be awesome. I don't mind the noise. I work better with the hum of people chatting around me enough so that I've offered myself as tribute to sit by the breakroom. It's the stupid low walls and having another head bouncing on the other side of my wall.

Mostly what I've noticed about the buildings with the new set up is that the conference rooms are ALWAYS booked because you can't just pop into someones office/space and discuss something without disturbing someone.

This trailer wouldn't be so bad if we had a conference room to use. But our conference table is just in open space. My boss actually has an office but the walls are like temporary trailer walls and you can't have a private conversation in there, either. My boss and I will sit in there and whisper and I think people can still hear us. Its ridiculous. 

That's  how our trailer conference rooms are. In fact, someone is having a telecon in one right now and I can hear them arguing.

[Bernadine]

My agency is about to pilot this. I hope we never get it. I know I would hate it.

[meshaliuknits]

Dec 28, 2015 17:43:52 GMT -5 @koko said:

I don't want to collaborate. I just want to get my damn work done and be left alone! I am not Vanilla Ice!

[imojoebunny]

This would mean DH would have to go to his car on a regular basis to work. He works on a lot of sensitive projects, and talking about them out in the open would be a confidentiality disaster, and in some cases, even be legally actionable. I would think it would be a mess for HR and legal employees who deal with sensitive information, too.

[LoveTrains]

Ok the worst part of the trailer is the bathroom. One bathroom for ten people and I swear you can hear everything from the desks when someone is in there. It causes me great anxiety. I plan to visit buildings around campus so I can go elsewhere.

[meshaliuknits]

Dec 28, 2015 18:06:57 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Ok the worst part of the trailer is the bathroom. One bathroom for ten people and I swear you can hear everything from the desks when someone is in there. It causes me great anxiety. I plan to visit buildings around campus so I can go elsewhere.

I HATE having to go outside to pee.

[livinitup]

I'm so sick of how our leadership team keeps cramming desks into rooms and acts like it is functional work space. I get that we are growing. I do. A desk is some stupid 1950's answer to doing work in some 1950 company. We need REAL space, space that is accessible and changes with whatever you have to that day. Interchangeable work stations, so I can print from any desktop, get on the internet, get email. Wifi that doesn't drop. We need private conference space for clients, and bigger rooms for team meetings and groups. It's so frustrating when 3 people are working in their cramped office while the one next door is empty. When 2 people are in a large conference room, and you can't find space for a group of 8. Our space is so mis-managed and its SO frustrating.

[fuckyourcouch]

I can deal with cubes. I can deal with some open concept. But having to move workspaces all the time? Jesus, my brain would weep. I need my own space and I need it to be well organized.

[Alex]

Manager's up get offices. Except I'm the only one with a true, 4 wall with a door office. The other Manager's get full cubes with a shower door for privacy. We always joke about how there must be a cone of silence around them.

[Deleted]

Dec 28, 2015 23:00:45 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

I can deal with cubes. I can deal with some open concept. But having to move workspaces all the time? Jesus, my brain would weep. I need my own space and I need it to be well organized.

I'm like this too. My office is spotlesS because clutter makes it impossible for me to think. Others in the building basically live in paper caves. I don't know how I would handle being uprooted and I don't know how they would do anything if they always need papers at hand.

[marriedfilingjoint]

Dec 28, 2015 22:22:42 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

Dec 28, 2015 15:58:06 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

My high school was open-concept, too. I wonder if they have since changed it due to the lockdown culture and whatnot.

All the Big 4 firms were talking about getting rid of offices when I left. I would love to hear how that's working out for them.

what I mentioned above was Deloitte Chicago circa 2005.

The Charlotte office did this on the audit floor, as well, which was strange since audit staff, seniors, and managers were never in office to enjoy their window cubes. They moved to a new building in 2009 or 2010 and I heard everyone was going to hotel.

[daisyn]

My company is currently looking for new office space that can be designed for this open concept. They haven't specified who if anyone gets an office. Right now the loose rule with some exceptions is managers with direct reports get an office. I have one.

What about all the dang conference calls people? And all the small meetings? Conference rooms for meetings of 2-3 people?? Or just meet out in the open concept area???

At least they gave us enough warning so I can find another job

[One Girl In All The World]

Dec 29, 2015 8:33:20 GMT -5 daisyn said:

My company is currently looking for new office space that can be designed for this open concept. They haven't specified who if anyone gets an office. Right now the loose rule with some exceptions is managers with direct reports get an office. I have one.

What about all the dang conference calls people? And all the small meetings? Conference rooms for meetings of 2-3 people?? Or just meet out in the open concept area???

At least they gave us enough warning so I can find another job

Our office isn't an open design, it's still cube-city, but I wonder if one day they move in this direction. There are more open sitting areas cropping up, and it's nearly impossible to get an office (or a conference room or even a cube for that matter if you aren't a FT employee). I would hate it, though luckily I work remotely 80% of the time. It's bad enough in the cubes, when people are having calls at the top of their voices to the point that when we are on a call, the people on the other end thing someone is standing right beside us yelling.