Regular readers of my ramblings are well aware of my absolute aversion to open spaces, particularly in the context of software engineering.
For a quick review of some articles where I expose my opinion of open spaces and their effects, there is an ‘open spaces’ tag to explore in this blog. TL;DR:
So, here is my personal opinion on open spaces: they are a disaster, a cancer for the industry.
The chorus against this disastrous invention does not stop at this blog, however. Here’s a selection of important articles, all repeating the same point, conveniently ignored by the short-minded intelligentsia in charge of the corporate world.
- Why open offices are bad for us (not only for us, but for everyone everywhere all at once.)
- The open-plan office is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea (to say the least)
- Open-plan offices have a surprising effect on workplace communication (read “surprising” as a euphemism for “bad”.)
- The Open Office Revolution Has Gone Too Far (no shit, Sherlock.)
- Report: U.S. workers hate ‘open’ office spaces (not only in the U.S., believe me.)
- Can ‘phone booths’ solve the problem of open-plan offices? (Spoiler alert: no.)
Articles from Geoffrey James
Geoffrey James, contributing editor at Inc.com, regularly writes articles about the subject; here are a few gems.
- Open-Plan Offices Kill Productivity, According to Science (science also said that everyone should get vaccinated against COVID, yet…)
- 9 Reasons That Open-Space Offices Are Insanely Stupid (only 9?)
- It’s Official: Open-Plan Offices Are Now the Dumbest Management Fad of All Time (finally.)
- ‘Collaboration’ Creates Mediocrity, Not Excellence, According to Science (well, indirectly related to open space offices, but still interesting.)