To use an open- plan design or not – this is the question. And, despite all indications to the contrary, the open floor plan workspace may not be such a great idea as we have seen many pros and cons of the open-plan workspace.

A lot of the news in workplace trends has been about the rise of the open workspace. However, it doesn’t take much research to find that there are lots of discussions about the downsides of an open plan. One article on Inc.com, went as far as to tie the rise in open workspaces to the increased demand for remote work options – implying that in order to find some focus time to get work done, employees would rather work remotely than come into an open office environment.

So, what’s going on? Are open plans a good idea or not? Here are som pros and cons of the open-plan workspace to help guide a discussion of whether this is a good plan for your work environment – or not.

Pros:

Lower operating overhead based on a shared work environment, fewer building materials, shared amenities
“Family” style environment where co-workers feel connected and part of a team encourages shared responsibility
Promotes collaboration (this point is well debated.)

Cons:

Lack of privacy – studies show that a lack of privacy can actually work against the drive to collaborate and encourages people to find spaces, like a stairwell or hallway, for private conversations.
Lack of productivity due to constant visual and noise distraction.
Increased stress due to constant visual and noise distraction.

Here’s a real-world experience that highlights the downside of an open-plan workspace. Banking is an industry that was famous for its open plan spaces even back in the day. Junior employees in the front row, increasing ranks moving back each row with senior managers in private offices. So, what to do if one of your routine jobs was to record a message of changing rates on a regular basis? One employee, finally resorted to climbing under their desk (of the old-fashioned heavy wood variety), in a suit and heels, to find the quiet needed to record the message – much to the amusement of my co-workers I might add.

So, the bottom line. Be sure to measure the pros and cons of an open workspace – or any trend for that matter – on your particular business. If the cost savings of an open plan lead to a greater loss in productivity your net return may actually be negative.

Once again, the answer lies in balance and flexibility. Providing private spaces in proximity to shared work environments allows you to get the best of all worlds – and designing a flexible workspace means you can adjust to changing demands over time.

Via awaremanager.com