By Kevin Drum
Mother Jones | Tue Dec. 30, 2014
After nine years in an office, Lindsey Kaufman's bosses decided to convert her ad agency into an open plan workspace:
Our new, modern Tribeca office was beautifully airy, and yet
remarkably oppressive. Nothing was private. On the first day, I took my
seat at the table assigned to our creative department, next to a nice
woman who I suspect was an air horn in a former life. All day, there was constant shuffling, yelling,and laughing, along with loud music piped through a PA system.
…These new floor plans are ideal for maximizing a company's space
while minimizing costs. Bosses love the ability to keep a closer eye on
their employees, ensuring clandestine porn-watching, constant social
media-browsing and unlimited personal cellphone use isn't occupying
billing hours. But employers are getting a false sense of improved
productivity. A 2013 study found that many workers in open offices are
frustrated by distractions that lead to poorer work performance. Nearly
half of the surveyed workers in open offices said the lack of sound
privacy was a significant problem for them and more than 30 percent
complained about the lack of visual privacy. Meanwhile, "ease of
interaction" with colleagues — the problem that open offices profess to
fix — was cited as a problem by fewer than 10 percent of workers in any
type of office setting.
Do not dare to ever criticize cubicles in my presence. This is what
they replaced, not spacious corner offices with lots of natural light
and walnut desks. Compared to open plan, cubicles are a paradise on
Earth. Open plan is the work of Satan.
That is all.
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