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Does anyone work in one of those modern, 360 offices?
- Thread starter ClayKavalier
- Start date
Red Liquorice
Member
This would turn me off a company actually. I like walls.
This actually sounds very interesting. I don't get the appeal of sitting at the same desk all day every day. It's the main reason I'm avoiding desk jobs in general. Then again I couldn't stand going to the same building every day. I work in 5 different locations now and I wouldn't have it any other way. A single designated spot sounds like hell to me.
Also this way you could choose to stand while working when you feel like it. Much prefer standing up most of the time.
Also this way you could choose to stand while working when you feel like it. Much prefer standing up most of the time.
And I would not exchange my place that easily (it's a perfect spot Posting from my workplace which is currently in the process of doing this. They're calling it 'agile working'.
There are three big changes we'll have to get used to
It's going to be interesting how it'll all play out. About half of my department probably won't take advantage of desk swapping or working from home and I'm certainly not planning on letting people use my BYO Devices.
There are three big changes we'll have to get used to
- Clear desk policy
- Skype for all
- Working from home
It's going to be interesting how it'll all play out. About half of my department probably won't take advantage of desk swapping or working from home and I'm certainly not planning on letting people use my BYO Devices.
cpp_is_king
Member
I'll need a citation that "all the big tech companies use this". Because i can tell you with 100% certainty that the 3 i have firsthand knowledge of do not
andythinkpad
Member
You get it backwards, you need your own desk in order to install dedicated standing equipment.
SomedayTheFire
Member
I work in a large open plan office now, there's no personal offices, no dividers but the desk is your own there's no hot desks. New starters can be beside the CEO if that's how the seating falls.
My old place was pretty much hot desks but we generally stuck to our own desks. Working from home was available at all times if needed/wanted.
My old place was pretty much hot desks but we generally stuck to our own desks. Working from home was available at all times if needed/wanted.
I work for a large company and we are doing this too. It totally sucks but the upper management don't care because they can lease 1/3 of the buildings they do now and that is the main driving force honestly. But the bosses is not going all in, so all upper management have offices, everyone else is screwed also they are not convinced about the remote working so only a small ratio will have the privilege as a pilot. /rant
tl;dr: bosses keep offices, everyone else is open office without remote working
tl;dr: bosses keep offices, everyone else is open office without remote working
Lionheart1827
Member
We have that setup, where everyone has laptops and every desk can be turned into your own workstation. However, we do have our own assigned desks. There are also no offices, only conference rooms(which can be booked) and smaller rooms that cant be booked. So its more open, but not "completely" open. I would hate if it was one of those super open ones, I like having my own space. I dont absolutely need an office, but I like having my own little niche.
Just a high table is enough. It doesn't have to be convertible if it's not your own desk.
Lionheart1827
Member
Many software companies do this, at least with the open format stuff.
I imagine if the company isn't producing hardware and only software, there isn't a point to have dedicated workstations.
My dad does and he hates it, everybody he used to sit next to and work with are spread out all over the place and they rarely get to sit together. He also need an extra screen sometimes and other stuff, but there's no place all his team can get that stuff and still sit together. So he works from home most days now since it's not that big of a difference from being at work.
So it probably depends on what you work with
So it probably depends on what you work with
Laevateinn
Member
I have an assigned location but otherwise that's basically how mine is. I like it but I can see how people wouldn't. It's easy to get distracted.
I figure web developers/designers would at least need a big ass monitor to test web pages or whatever, but maybe that's not a day-to-day concern.
If their software isn't primarily visual media focused, then I can see it making sense.
Hari Seldon
Member
This would be a huge black mark for me if I was interviewing at a company that did this. It will tell me that the company was more interested in chasing unproven horseshit fads than actually being productive and stable.
Hari Seldon
Member
Yeah this some fucking 19th century assembly line sweatshop shit. Everyone should just start talking in a cochney accent and calling the bosses "govna".
Yes, recently moved to a new office that was designed in this way and can't stand it. Some regular offices around the edge but lots of open space and temporary desks. My "office" has only 3 walls and no door and i can hear a pin drop across the entire building. You can imagine how great this is for client conference calls...I don't ever need to hear the words "collaborative space" again as well.
I've seen several productivity studies that indicate having walls is better for most people. Wish I still had the links to them.
The open office concept seems to be an overreaction to the perceived lack of collaboration that comes with having individual offices or workspaces. Instead of complimenting the individual workspaces with designated collaborative workspaces, the entire damn office just goes completely open and unleashes hell that no one expected.
I've been lucky to see a lot of these types of layouts without having to actually work in them. IMO they're loud and pretty disgusting. They make one-one-one communication more difficult (both in person and over the phone). The workspaces are rarely large enough so you have personal belongings spilling over into other occupied workspaces (including clothing, trash, and food). And you have the demoralizing task of having to find a place to sit... every single day. Imagine running late one day and knowing you'll get stuck in the middle of some cattle pen surrounded by all the people no one else wanted to sit next to.
The open office concept seems to be an overreaction to the perceived lack of collaboration that comes with having individual offices or workspaces. Instead of complimenting the individual workspaces with designated collaborative workspaces, the entire damn office just goes completely open and unleashes hell that no one expected.
I've been lucky to see a lot of these types of layouts without having to actually work in them. IMO they're loud and pretty disgusting. They make one-one-one communication more difficult (both in person and over the phone). The workspaces are rarely large enough so you have personal belongings spilling over into other occupied workspaces (including clothing, trash, and food). And you have the demoralizing task of having to find a place to sit... every single day. Imagine running late one day and knowing you'll get stuck in the middle of some cattle pen surrounded by all the people no one else wanted to sit next to.
Lionheart1827
Member
Yeah def, the way we have it setup at my company offices is every desk has a laptop dock connected to two widescreen monitors, a mouse and a keyboard. So pretty much whatever office in whatever country you're in, you're pretty much ready to go no matter where you are. Super flexible.
Human Resources
Member
protip: if you don't like your open office setup, keep finding excuses to buy and set up more monitors until you are effectively in a cubicle
ClayKavalier
Banned
If you can do your job with just a laptop, then sure I guess it makes sense. I don't really know what industry it would suit the most; blogging?
I saw a few posts like this so just wanted to clarify, all of the desks are workstations with dual 24" monitors and a mouse and keyboard. You plug your laptop into everything through a USB 3.0 hub. The only time I do anything on the laptop itself is if I bring it to a meeting.
We already have the same setup, it's actually really nice because it's sort of a halfway step between a traditional office and "hot desks." It's very easy to take your laptop with you if you're going to work from home, but if you're not you can just leave it at your desk, along with whatever papers you may have laying around. All of our desks are sit/ stand too. I feel like we already have all of the benefits of these modern offices and now we're deciding to get on board with all the crappy parts.
We are transitioning to a similar model you have your own assigned workspace but everyone is closer together and all teams have an open meeting area. Its a slow transition so I may be retired or theyll determine its not worth the cost before it reaches my location. If it were to happen , we are in a low cubicle environment now, so other than new furniture and no cubicles/walls not a huge change. There are other areas with high cubicles and offices that will have a larger impact.
As far as what the OP is going through, sounds like a nightmare. I like having my own space to settle into, just because Im a creature of habit. The whole one team thing can be accomplished without all the bullshit in the OP and overall sounds like a terrible idea.
As far as what the OP is going through, sounds like a nightmare. I like having my own space to settle into, just because Im a creature of habit. The whole one team thing can be accomplished without all the bullshit in the OP and overall sounds like a terrible idea.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
I'd be interested in trying this for a week or so, just to see what it's like.
Not really feasible for my work though, even though there are a bunch of cubicles and offices for the higher ups, everyone is specialized and requires their own equipment which would be ridiculous to move around (I work in an engineering department).
Not really feasible for my work though, even though there are a bunch of cubicles and offices for the higher ups, everyone is specialized and requires their own equipment which would be ridiculous to move around (I work in an engineering department).
One of the reasons I really like my current company is that we all have private offices, and the positioning (i.e. window office) is given based on seniority not position. We have a few shared offices, but they're larger, and generally temporary for newer people (we tend to reshuffle every few years).
Honestly, I'd find an open office nightmarish.
Honestly, I'd find an open office nightmarish.
Mammoth Jones
Member
I hate open offices.
And Fuck non-assigned seating. I want my own space to work.
And Fuck non-assigned seating. I want my own space to work.
yellowjacket25
Member
I work in a large open office with a few hundred people working. Its not so bad once you get used to it. Even senior management and the highest level engineers are working in the same area and environment. We have our own desks though. I can't imagine wandering around trying to find someone with no clue where they might be.
My office sort of did that. We didn't sit anywhere we wanted, but they removed most of the walls.
I hated it. Way too noisy and hard to concentrate. Some people had the nastiest smelling food. Lots of motion which, to me, is also distracting.
I eventually got my own office (we had like five left and I was higher ranked) and productivity then went up.
I hated it. Way too noisy and hard to concentrate. Some people had the nastiest smelling food. Lots of motion which, to me, is also distracting.
I eventually got my own office (we had like five left and I was higher ranked) and productivity then went up.
DirtyLarry
Member
Yep, my company transitioned to this about a year ago. It was as bad as you can imagine.
Not only do they do this, they moved the offices about 35 miles away adding over 45 minutes (one way) to my commute. It was a double whammy and I truly was miserable.
I fortunately moved to another division within the company who has yet to implement this 360 setup, that happens to only be 15 minutes from my house, and I also get to work from home 90% of the time.
So it all worked out, but for a good 5 months there I was convinced I needed a new job (which technically I did get, just within my company), as it was that shitty. Totally has no regard whatsoever for people who may be introverts and/or for people who actually need to focus on their work.
Not only do they do this, they moved the offices about 35 miles away adding over 45 minutes (one way) to my commute. It was a double whammy and I truly was miserable.
I fortunately moved to another division within the company who has yet to implement this 360 setup, that happens to only be 15 minutes from my house, and I also get to work from home 90% of the time.
So it all worked out, but for a good 5 months there I was convinced I needed a new job (which technically I did get, just within my company), as it was that shitty. Totally has no regard whatsoever for people who may be introverts and/or for people who actually need to focus on their work.
The Albatross
Member
I love having an office, but I'm convinced I'd be more productive in an open working space. When we wre switching offices years ago I had to share an office with someone, and I got 10x more work done than I did at any other time. I wouldnt be interested in it because I like my setup now, though no doubt I'd adjust and probably get more done.
Nope, never done it before, though it sounds unwieldy. I like to use my own mouse and keyboard, so switching spaces every day would make me carry around my laptop, mouse, keyboard, and any other accessories I use.
I work on a stereotypical cube farm. Stereotypical down to the point where I technically sit next to a window, but can't actually see out the window because it's blocked by my fucking cubicle wall. I don't like this setup too much either.
I work on a stereotypical cube farm. Stereotypical down to the point where I technically sit next to a window, but can't actually see out the window because it's blocked by my fucking cubicle wall. I don't like this setup too much either.
Oh, I forgot that this sort of also happened where I work. The windows are about 20 feet high, and while there are no walls, nobody was allowed to FACE the windows. The owner said that would be distracting if someone could look out the window.
Turnip Truck
Member
We moved from cube farms to hot desks with very low walls about a decade ago. Management was exstatic, saying how it would improve collaboration. Not so much. Not only did you get a wonderful level of noise increase as there was nothing to block the sound of the the sales dudes blathering and guffawing loudly on their calls, but you get the increased visual distraction as well. The low walls, barely over the top of your head while seated, meant that your eye was drawn every time someone walked down the row across from you. Headphones could partially compensate for the auditory distractions, but can't block the visual ones. It was very hard to do anything requiring concentration like programming or deep troubleshooting. The open office made it easy for the social butterflies to make the rounds and disruptively talk about trivial, non-business things to bigger groups of people since we weren't separated by physical partitions anymore. If you wanted to actually collaborate with a peer, you'd have to find a conference room because you damn sure couldn't do it in that noisy, chaotic environment.
Needless to say I and the majority of those who worked there opted for a full time telecommuting option. The office has been a ghost town for years other than the rare whole office meetings or the monthly cookout during warm weather. I've had to furnish my own home office, but it is peaceful and quiet.
Needless to say I and the majority of those who worked there opted for a full time telecommuting option. The office has been a ghost town for years other than the rare whole office meetings or the monthly cookout during warm weather. I've had to furnish my own home office, but it is peaceful and quiet.
At my company it's a mixture. There is an area of unassigned seats, with just giant flat tables against the wall with power strips, there are areas where teams section off space dynamically as they form and then regular areas where people have permanent desks.
But it's a consultant company so it makes sense; some people work on short term projects, others long term ones and some people aren't currently on a project.
But it's a consultant company so it makes sense; some people work on short term projects, others long term ones and some people aren't currently on a project.
Falchion
Member
It sounds interesting and I'd be willing to give it a shot but my workplace is very traditional so I have my own office and the fact that I opened the connecting door to the office next to me that my roommate works in has been blowing peoples' minds here. My ideal work environment would be someplace like a Starbucks or Chipotle where there's a lot happening and you could just pop in your earbuds and work away so maybe this would be for me.