Discussion Thread

  • 1.  How do you work in an open office?

    Posted 12-19-2020 10:10 AM

    So I'm in between perm jobs working a contract gig doing ASC 606 work and upgrading the company's financial reporting. The problem is I'm in a room with 100 other people who talk all day and this job in no way requires collaboration. This is my 3rd week and it sucks just as bad as week 1, tried noise cancelling headphones but even those aren't perfect and it doesn't fix the constant people walking by distractions and the group who thinks we all like the smell of Indian food. Anyone have more tips or should I just quit?



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    Rohit Singh
    Indore MP
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  • 2.  RE: How do you work in an open office?

    Posted 12-21-2020 09:16 AM

    How about earplugs with the combination of noise canceling headphones? 



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    Shilei Richards S.M.ASCE
    Hollywood FL
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  • 3.  RE: How do you work in an open office?

    Posted 12-22-2020 10:08 AM

    Open office plans are promoted by non-technical people who claim they 'foster collaboration' with little appreciation of their negative effect on concentration and productivity for employees in technical professions.  Companies and space planners rely on specious studies to claim all kinds of benefits from open office plans.  As you've found, they're great for people whose job (or personality) requires then to jabber all day, but that's about it.  Companies salivate over the chance to reduce real estate square footage and furniture costs.  

    In my experience, only the most air-tight headphones will block all distracting noise....and they'll make your ears sweat.  Ear buds won't do the job completely, unfortunately.  And you have to choose your music wisely  (on the plus side, I discovered Amon Tobin and Blockhead).  And headphones - no matter how good - won't block visual distractions which can be as much an issue as noise.

    A better option may be to commandeer a vacant meeting room to spread out and work in peace...if you have that option.  The downside is that you have to drag all your stuff to that room, and may have to fight to maintain that space if someone else needs it.

    Working from home - as many of us have found out during the pandemic - can solve some of the distraction problems.....or can just swap them for others (kids, dogs, etc.).  Collaboration during work-from-home can be maintained with Teams, Zoom, and IM'ing.  But I've also found that it seems the number of coordination meetings has increased out of necessity.  Long and short - you might consider working from home if you have that option for times when you have a need for complete concentration that you just can't get any other way in the office.

    On the topic of working from home, I recently read  an article that the mass work-from-home that has occurred during the pandemic has benefitted from - and is spending down - saved relationship capital that was built up from people working together and building relationships in offices over many years.  The takeaway was that companies shouldn't necessarily take the current apparent success of mass working from home as an indicator that it is a long term solution or that near-complete-elimination of offices is a good idea.  The impact of mass work-from-home on long-term company culture and relationships is an unknown.

    As for your final question - 'should I just quit?' - know that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.  Companies have been blindly jumping on the open office bandwagon over the last 5-10 years so you may find that most other firms have the same type of office....or will be enticed to change to it in the near future.  Take into consideration if you like the work itself,  the people you work with (are they qualified and good to work with?), and the compensation.  If you truly find the office unbearable and that's an overriding concern, then look at other options.  Admittedly, open offices are not a selling point for many people other than corporate execs and corporate real estate managers.



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    Greg Thein, PE
    Cleveland, OH
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  • 4.  RE: How do you work in an open office?

    Posted 12-28-2020 09:24 AM

    Greg,

    I love working in an open office space as a civil engineer. Different things work for different people and different company "personalities." 

    I was way more productive in an open office setting than working from home. I know the opposite is true for some. That's why it is important for there to be a variety of options out there for people to find what works for them. 

    Rohit- if I were in your situation I would probably explore other work options. I'm not one to recommend job hopping over small things, because every job has its issues. However, in this case it seems like enough of an issue to warrant leaving.

    My dad had a job he didn't enjoy when I was a kid. There was a big difference in his mood when he came home every night after he switched jobs. None of us realized how much it was impacting him until it changed. 



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    Heidi Wallace EI,P.E.,M.ASCE
    P.E.
    Tulsa OK
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  • 5.  RE: How do you work in an open office?

    Posted 12-22-2020 10:09 AM

    I don't know where in the world you are based right now, but I'm surprised a company is even allowed to have 100 people in a room together given that there is a global pandemic. You are in a tough situation. I work in an open group when I am in the office too, but its only about 10 people and for the most part they respect eachother's personal space. In a group as large as the one you are describing, I can see it being way more difficult to try and get any group culture or consensus about one uniform way to approach working in a group. 



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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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