It’s tempting to consider open floor office design for your new headquarters, but is open floor office design good for business? Open floor offices advertise their collaborative environment and cheap rent, but is this true? Most likely not. You’ll come to find that the privacy of cubicles will be sought after, once the thrill of an open floor office wears off. Productivity will suffer, and so will your company work ethic.
Cubicles may not be as visually appealing, but they serve their purpose in keeping your business running smoothly. Open floor offices may have negative effects on your business that you’ve never thought of but should consider. If you’re currently renting open floor offices, a few of these points may feel a bit familiar. If
you haven’t hit “PAY” yet, read this before you are making your final decision.
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Open Floor Office Design Problem #1 – HIGH PERFORMANCE EMPLOYEES NEED QUIET SPACES
It is no surprise that open floor spaces are loud. When there is chatter all around you, it’s hard to focus on your work at hand. There could be someone on a call, or a group of coworkers discussing their next business strategy, and maybe even a disagreement that’s within earshot. To you, this is just noise. You must reset your brain multiple times to zone back into your project in front of you.
Open Floor Office Design Problem #2 – JOB SATISFACTION OR NOT SO MUCH?
A study investigated the correlation between office type and employee job satisfaction. It revealed that those who worked alone in cellular offices and those who worked in a room shared with one other colleague experienced a positive work experience. However, as the number of co-workers increase in a room, job satisfaction decreased. Sure, you’ll save money on an open floor office, but you’ll pay for it in the long run with the costs associated with job satisfaction going down. It’s more cost effective to consider the impact an office type will have on employees rather than solely focusing on the short-term financial benefits.
Open Floor Office Design Problem #3 – LACK OF INTERACTION
Unfortunately, face-to-face interaction decreases in open floor offices, the opposite effect of what an open layout is going for. Communication through emailing and instant messaging increased and productivity declined. Because everyone is constantly surrounded by people, there was no longer the privacy that cubicles
provided. Online interactions increased as a result. Some may even go as far as to avoid more interaction with team members. Having so many people around you
can be overstimulating. You’ll see earbuds in and coworkers making the effort to avoid as much contact with others as possible.
Open Floor Office Design Problem #4 – VISUALLY DISTRACTING
When you’re in such close proximity to so many other team members, it’s visually distracting. In open floor offices, you’re surrounded by people that may not necessarily be in your department or even your company. Not only is their presence distracting, but their projects can also disrupt your work ethic. You could be bombarded with questions about what you do and how you do it, something you wouldn’t have to worry about if you were in a cubicle.
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