Oh my god conference calls were the wooorst in my open office. Half the time while on the phone with a client they would comment at least once that they could hear my neighbors voice over mine, which required me to talk louder, which required them to talk louder, raising the threshold of noise up and up.
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The Home Office Is Dying (Bloomberg)
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Oh my god conference calls were the wooorst in my open office. Half the time while on the phone with a client they would comment at least once that they could hear my neighbors voice over mine, which required me to talk louder, which required them to talk louder, raising the threshold of noise up and up.
Very often not practical or even allowed.
Open office floor plans may have been a thing for a while but they're still terrible. Having at least a quasi-private space to work and think in is important for a lot of people. The open floor plan is an thing that corporate bureaucrats decided was a good idea at one point, because it sounds nice in theory, and that's all that matters.
Mammoth Jones
Member
This. Had a home office but it became the baby room once the munchkin was born. So when we get a house it's going to have to have a dedicated work space. Hard to work from home and really work when I'm on a couch in front of a 65 inch TV and gaming console. Would rather have separate space to work/study/whatever.
Why?
As long as the open floor has a number of breakout rooms to run into when you need privacy and open plan office allows a lot for collaboration and communication.
Yeah, and chances are any of the people that unilaterally decide things like this have offices of their own and have no conception of what it's like in the "trenches".
Hell, at my old job most of the executive officers didn't even work in the office itself and instead worked from remote offices.
If you're going to have separate dedicated rooms, those should be the ones used for collaboration rather than the other way around.
It's so strange that people are encourage to congregate and gab around desks instead of heading off to the dedicated conference rooms that sit vacant.
Mammoth Jones
Member
They don't. We got conference rooms for meetings. But no dedicated space for someone that wants to work quietly without gabbering coworkers giggling and laughing. Headphones are clutch.
A home office is pretty important to me. I like a space where I can get some quiet, and where I can take conference calls without bothering anyone else in the house too much. I also prefer to work on a full desk setup with a big monitor (or monitors), an ergonomic chair, etc.
There are pros and cons. I prefer to work in relative quiet, rather than having to down out a room with headphones – I don't particularly like listening to music while I work. I don't want to have to move to find quiet, as I want to work on a full keyboard and multi-monitor setup, not on a laptop.
An open space shared with a relatively small, quiet team can be great. There quickly comes a point at which it's too loud and distracting, though.
There are pros and cons. I prefer to work in relative quiet, rather than having to down out a room with headphones – I don't particularly like listening to music while I work. I don't want to have to move to find quiet, as I want to work on a full keyboard and multi-monitor setup, not on a laptop.
An open space shared with a relatively small, quiet team can be great. There quickly comes a point at which it's too loud and distracting, though.
I'm not talking about conference rooms, I'm talking about small offices for small office things.
I've had an open plan environment, home office and my own office.
They all have they're plus' and minus' but I dont necessarily see any single option as inherently bad.
Plus, one's job role will affect ones ability to work well/bad in a specific situation.
Not everybody works well while constantly being inundated with the presence of and interaction with other people. There are studies that show for many people it inhibits productivity. The whole "it allows for collaboration and communication" thing is BS. That's what phones, email, messaging, conference rooms and walking over to my cubicle are for. How exactly is it more conducive to collaboration and communication anyway?
Yyyyep. It's like the corporate version of broscience. "Productivity is higher when no one has personal space and everyone can see and talk to everyone else at all times -- it just makes sense!", he typed from his corner office with the door closed.
NinjaMouse
Member
I had a similar issue. When my daughter was born, I got kicked to the basement. Now when my mother in law comes to visit, I lose my basement. Living in a townhouse, I'm running out of space to have any semblance of an office anymore. The next house will hopefully be a little more accommodating. I'll have to leave the NYC area to do so, though, almost guaranteed.
Zoe
Member
I haven't seen any offices that offer that.
Amen. Open office setups are terrible and I hate that they're in vogue now. The answer to cubicles sucking isn't to take them away and just have desks with a very low divider between some of them.
Ooccoo
Member
SillyEskimo
Member
We have a huge home office. It has 2 8ft corner desks, triple monitors, and a 46" mounted TV. My kids have a 24" iMac in the other corner that is just theirs. The office has a large overstuffed chair and ottoman that fits 2 people comfortably.
It's a great escape room, but also a surprisingly pleasant space for the whole family to gather.
It's a great escape room, but also a surprisingly pleasant space for the whole family to gather.
I only work from home once or twice a week, but I do have a dedicated home office. I am much more easily distracted a much less productive if I try to work in a different part of the house. Being in the office keeps me isolated from distractions and helps me focus on work.
I always had a desk as well, the same desk that I gamed at also. Never had to really print anything although I always have a printer so I can relate to this article.
Matter of fact, I was even looking at a lounge chair that I had in storage to bring out to work from not too long ago.
With what I do, just a laptop and an internet connection is enough.
Matter of fact, I was even looking at a lounge chair that I had in storage to bring out to work from not too long ago.
With what I do, just a laptop and an internet connection is enough.
My girlfriend and I recently converted our (very small) spare bedroom into a home office. She was recently promoted, and the new job means working from home a lot, so she wanted her own space where she'd be free of distractions. Since we rarely ever used the spare room beforehand, it seemed like a good idea.
This. I also have two 25" monitors because writing code on a laptop blows monkey nuts.
Well this explains it. I was born in the 70s, so I guess having a dedicated office must be part of my DNA...
/sarcasm
GoldenEye 007
Member
My "office" replaces my dining area in my apartment. But I need my dual monitor setup. Until a laptop can produce that type of screen real estate, I'll keep my laptop on my docking station unless I'm travelling. As tempting as it is to be able to work at the pool or something.
As for working in bed, eh...... not comfortable at all for me. Bed is sex and lights out space. Not workspace.
As for working in bed, eh...... not comfortable at all for me. Bed is sex and lights out space. Not workspace.
TheMissingLink
Member
I work from home 100%.
I work 80% at the kitchen table, and 20% at a desk in my bedroom if my kiddo is around during client calls.
I work 80% at the kitchen table, and 20% at a desk in my bedroom if my kiddo is around during client calls.
The Lamonster
Member
I work from home on my couch, but I still have a 'home office' for PC gaming lol
I was just saying this to my wife. We'll all basically have our own 'Holodecks' eventually,
i have a home office in my current house, which was a bedroom. In the new house we have a room dedicated as my office. Yea sometimes i work elsewhere, but when i really want to do stuff nothing beats a 2 or 3 monitor setup and i aint dragging a 27" monitor around.
i also work from home full time.
i also work from home full time.
TheExecutive
Member
Not going anyplace for me. Some folks need more then a 13 to 15 inch screen and a track pad- you know for those that actually have to work. I have a desk with two good size monitors keyboard and mouse.
BronzeWolf
Banned
I live in 1 room apartment, so a studio space is not in the books. But I do have a special corner for working.
I hate working
I hate working
Think of how much easier it will be to collaborate now.
Veritigo_X
Member
I have a room with a desk and desktop computer in it. It also functions as a second bedroom so I don't really know if I'd call it a home office. If I'm working from home I use my laptop/not actually work.
entremet
Member
Introverts's worse nightmare!
I never felt micromanaged in a big open space. It's really about the culture. I am browsing and posting GAF right now lol.
The Shadow
Member
I have a home office, but it's also my man cave. Have a desk, with two monitors, but on the other side I have my beat up cushy chair and 27" CRT tv so I can play all my old consoles if I'm so inclined.
It's not just introverts. Research shows that most people, even if they're not aware, feel more anxiety and stress in open offices.
It's not just introverts. Research shows that most people, even if they're not aware, feel more anxiety and stress in open offices.
Just moved this past weekend and am selling my desk, chair, etc because I see no real need for them. It was nice to have while I had it, but makes no sense in the current layout of my apartment. The extra space can be nice, but is overall unnecessary. There's nothing I could do at my desk that I can't do at the kitchen table.
Except play video games and watch naughty videos.
I work from home around half of the time, and I have a home office. My wife often uses it when she is home and/or needs to have a private work call away from the kids. I can always detach my laptop from the docking station to move around the house when I wish to (ie. during the Olympics), but working on a 34" monitor is much better than the 14" laptop screen.
The "office" used to be in an open area on the second floor that overlooked our living room and front door, but I found that once my eldest was old enough to come home after school that it wasn't private enough for me to work so I moved the office into our spare bedroom which was only being used by the kids to play in.
The "office" used to be in an open area on the second floor that overlooked our living room and front door, but I found that once my eldest was old enough to come home after school that it wasn't private enough for me to work so I moved the office into our spare bedroom which was only being used by the kids to play in.
I have a home office and work from home 95% of the time. I can't stand working on a laptop so working at the kitchen table is out.
I do sometimes work outside if I'm writing documentation or other "mindless" tasks.
I also made my home office a place I want to be.
Please ignore the falling apart chair, I'm looking into new ones.
I do sometimes work outside if I'm writing documentation or other "mindless" tasks.
I also made my home office a place I want to be.
Please ignore the falling apart chair, I'm looking into new ones.
Darryl M R
Member
I'm very early into my career and I'm trying to figure out which careers can lead me to being able to work from a home office.
entremet
Member
Good list. I have friends in each of those industries that work from home.
Milly Osworth
Member
Why did you feel the need to mention the exact sizes of everything?
The Illiterati
Member
I work from home and use my HTPC/gaming center. I work from an easy chair with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. It's the life, I tell you. Do some work, play a game, do some work, watch a show, do some work, post on GAF, etc.
I have a home office though I don't really need it. I just prefer to have a single room dedicated to housing my large bookshelf, desktop, and furniture I can lounge on while reading, working on my laptop, or attending a telemeeting. It also doubles as the guest room, as there's plenty of space to plop down an inflatable mattress.
CreepingFear
Member
I work in IT, yet I don't get to telecommute from home. Go figure.
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