It’s been 50 years since the open-office concept came to America. The goal was to put people closer together, increase collaboration and save money on space.
But now that the walls have all fallen in favor of cubicles and multiperson desks, some management experts have come to believe that the open-plan office trend may actually be counterproductive.
Studies show the open-office concept is distracting workers, given that most people talk about topics other than work with those around them. Noise is the No. 1 element that bothers employees about open offices, a University of Sydney study shows. The results are lower productivity and higher absentee rates.
The open-plan office concept is failing in large part because not everyone works the same way.
“There’s a lack of choice,” said Kay Sargent, a senior principal with HOK, a global architecture firm. “It’s a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t meet the needs of people today.”
A suitable workspace is more important than ever considering the intense competition for talent across many industries. Many employees are choosing where to work based in part on the office environment, said Tara Wolckenhauer, division vice president of human resources at ADP.
Employees want to work in spaces that make them feel more productive, not less.
“If they’re not in the right space, then you get disengagement,” Wolckenhauer said.
The Rise Of Activity-Based Work
The office space has been evolving in recent years. While rows of cubicles are still common, many organizations are adopting multispace environments that include open office spaces for collaborative projects and private areas for more concentrated work.
Sargent describes these as activity-based work (ABW) environments, which make employees more productive by providing different spaces for different functions.