MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT OPEN

OFFICE DESIGN

Tips, suggestions, and inspiration from GennGlobal

INTRODUCTION

Creating an open office layout is one option to

consider when designing a productive office

environment.

However, there are various misconceptions about

open office design, both good and bad.

Next, we will discuss some of these common

misconceptions about open office design and what

they might mean for your office.

PRIVACY

One misconception about open office designs is

that there is an inherent lack of privacy.

However, this is not necessarily true.

Privacy can be achieved through many different

ways. For example, you might try arranging desks

in such a way that provides more seclusion for

employees.

It is also important to remember that privacy means

different things to different people, so you should

ask your team what they are comfortable with.

Hey, whatcha doing?

PRODUCTIVITY

Some also believe that open offices will always

increase a team’s productivity.

There is some truth to this, but is not true 100% of

the time. The effect of an open office design on

your team’s productivity entirely depends what kind

of team you have and what type of work they do.

For example, if your team regularly collaborates

with each other, they may find an open office useful

for communication. However, if your team works

independently, they may find this design distracting.

INTROVERTS DON’T LIKE OPEN OFFICES

A perceived lack of privacy might appear to be a

serious problem for introverts in the workplace.

However, while this may be the case, there might

be a positive impact as well.

For instance, an open office can make

communication easier for introverts in the sense

that it makes all of their coworkers more

approachable.

Once again, we suggest that you check with your

team to determine whether or not an open office

design will be beneficial or not.

Yay, socialising?