Out in the Open: The Pros and Cons of Open Office Plans

Out in the Open The PROS and CONS of Open-Office Plans - 1950s – Open-office plans first popped up in Hamburg, Germany, to facilitate communication and the flow of ideas. Cubicle open-office plan Tightly squeezed open-office plan The average amount of space per employee in the u.S. has dropped from 400 square feet in 1985 to 250 square feet in 2011. Within 10 years, this is expected to drop to 150 square feet. - 1985 – 2011 2021 250 150 400 A recent review of Scottish and Australian open-plan academic offices found the dominant reason for open-office plans is cost reduction. Open-office plans can help employees feel like part of a more laidback, innovative team, but they can decrease I Productivity 1 Creative thinking 1 Satisfaction Here's What Research Has to Say About It Survey results from representatives in a variety of industries 60% of the companies have primarily open-office plans 38% of respondents changed their office spaces from closed to open-office plans within the past 5 years 81% Many respondents said open-office plans improved morale believe open-office plans promote improved behaviors, like better team interaction 8 60% believe open-office plans may reduce ethics violations through visible detection Noise was an often-cited complaint of open-office plans. Survey Respondents 8% 10% 9% 21% 16% 38% 40% 23% 30% Professional Services Less than 1,000 employees - Industrial/Manufacturing 1 Other - Healthcare/Pharmaceutical - Technology/Telecommunications . Consumer Industries - Between 1,000 and 9,999 employees - Between 10,000 and 49,000 employees - Over 50,000 employees In a social media survey on salary, commute, office space, bathroom conditions, and company culture: Privacy Office space preferences 47% 27% worked in cubicles worked at a desk 41% of respondents said they were able to work in peace and occasionally take care of personal matters 23% percent worked in their own office 34% said the workspace is not private, but there are designated private areas 2% worked from home 25% said they have to resort to places like stairwells to make private calls Only 2 of every 5 respondents cared about the type of workspace The 2013 u.S. Workplace Survey revealed employees who can effectively focus are 57% 88% 42% more able to more able to more able to collaborate learn socialize In a Danish study of 2,403 employees between the ages of 18 and 59 those who shared an office or worked in an open-office plan had significantly more sick days. When 40 female clerical workers were exposed to simulated open-office noise or no noise: - Perceived stress remained the same for workers in the loud and quiet conditions. - But the workers exposed to more noise were less likely to make ergonomic, postural adjustments. When 30 participants aged 18-29 were studied under different noise and heat conditions: 1 Open-office noise distraction, as well as moderately warm air temperature, increased fatigue and negatively affected work performance. When 31 office workers moved from private office rooms to open-office plans occupied by more than 20 people, participants experienced: Increased distraction Increased use of coping strategies Increased concentration difficulties Less pleasant and direct cooperation Reduced privacy When 70 employees at 4 job levels in a large corporation completed a questionnaire before and after moving from a conventional office to an open-office plan: Satisfaction with Satisfaction with privacy declined and reflected a decrease in communication and perceived noise levels did not change. confidentiality of conversations. While there are clear benefits and disadvantages to open-office plans, their success relies on each individual worker's preferences and style of work. newyorker.com cnbc.com nytimes.com wes.sagepub.com jll.com blog.surepayroll.com ncbi.nlm.nih.gov gensleron.com eab.sagepub.com Brought to you by: In Partnership With: SURE PAYROLL A Paychex® Company GHERGICH&Co. Ш