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[oxymoronia]

Open-plan offices sickening, unproductive

"All the studies we reviewed had the same conclusion - that the open-plan work environment is one of the worst environments in which you can put an employee

Comments

[merle_]

I can certainly attest to that. I'm very sensitive to things happening around me, so the office cubicle environment is a constant assault on my concentration. Generally I try to get into work or stay late so I am alone in the office, and blast music through noise cancelling headphones the rest of the time just so I can get anything done.

Plus, the way cubicles are designed you normally have your back to the room, meaning anyone can sneak up on you. I hate that.

[oxymoronia]

As it is, I'm easily distracted (trying to hold a conversation with a friend while walking through a shopping centre is a battle for me) and find it difficult to get into a rhythm if I'm constantly interrupted, so I have no idea how I would cope if I had to deal with aural distractions too.

I use a convex desk mirror at work, and it really does help. They can be a distraction in themselves but you can angle them so they only show your immediate vicinity.

[merle_]

I installed a web cam and pointed it out into the common area behind me. It immediately got "hey, you're spying on us!" criticisms.. but since then two other people have done the same. Of course, then I have to actually be looking there to see people coming.

The other problem (which you probably don't have with convex mirrors) is that the web cam occasionally crashes and just shows the last image it saw. ;-)