Are open plan offices right for your business?
We have often spoken of the positive impact open plan offices have on a company’s productivity and employee satisfaction. Taking a look at our blog ‘New Office Design Leads to Creativity and Inspiration’ we’re reminded of the creativity and collaboration that can be ignited by feeling part of a team and turning our backs on the isolation of cubicle desking. However, more recent research has made us think again about open plan offices and whether it’s right for business.
Pros of Open Plan Offices
- They enable employee’s to socialise and collaborate freely within the office, leading to inspiration, ideas and more creativity.
- Open plan spaces grant free movement and stop staff feeling restricted and even claustrophobic in their working environment.
- Whilst you may think open plan may lead to more distractions, working at a cubicle desk can be just as distracting as your mind wanders with the lack of stimulation from talking and working with others.
Cons of Open Plan Offices
- Open plan offices have been found as the source of unwanted competition between staff, causing a negative and tense atmosphere in the office.
- Some employees prefer a little bit of peace and quiet during the day to get their work done and open plan offices don’t always grant the opportunity to have your own space and just get on with work.
- Recent research conducted by a British office equipment company found that 54% of workers would prefer to work in separate offices.
Open plan offices are meant to create a more informal and co-operative work environment. They have become a craze started by the corporate giants such as Google and Amazon. Yet some people are starting to question how beneficial open plan offices are. As we’ve briefly discussed above the disengagement and interruptions of an open plan office can lead to a subsequent loss of productivity.
Perhaps, it is a case of judging what is best for your business yourself. For some an open plan office will generate the inspiration and creativity a business needs, but for others it may cause distractions with negative implications if your business is purely about time and productivity.
Tell us what you think.
Do you think open plan is best? Or do you work in a cubicle or open plan office? Let us know what you think and which you prefer.