Looking across the vista of an open plan office, there are many elements that please the eye: the unobstructed sightlines that allow you to see the entire team, sleek minimalist work stations accessorized with laptops and travel mugs, and the entire room awash with daylight as there are few partitions to divert it.
Open plan offices have continued to gain popularity, not only because they are visually desirable, but for the benefits that result from “transparency-enhancing architectures with fewer walls, doors and other spatial boundaries”1, such as increased collaboration resulting from more face-to-face interactions amongst employees. An article called “The impact of the ‘open’ workspace on human collaboration” that was recently published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences suggests open plan workspaces might have the opposite impact than intended.
A summary of the findings, which were the result of assessing employees’ behavior during a 15-day study after their workspace was converted to an open plan concept, was shared in The Architect’s Newspaper. The company where the study took place showed an overall decrease in productivity. Many employees have long known what this study has revealed; the lack of privacy and acoustic challenges that come with an open plan environment is stressful. Therefore, a “growing number of workers are searching for quieter environs and wellness spaces outside of the office.”2
