Will you be following Facebook into an open plan office design?

Thinking outside of the box has become a physical reality as an increasing number of offices favour open plan designs.

Photo: Nick Otto for The Washington Post

Thinking outside of the box has become a physical reality as an increasing number of offices favour open plan designs. The behemoth of the tech world, Facebook is leading the charge with largest open plan office in the world. Could this be the year that your company changes how things work?

Well personally, I feel that open plan offices are an effective way for an organisation to work. At Bradfield we benefit from being able to speak across the floor. Without barriers my colleagues and I, are able to collaborate easily due to the absence of doors or partitions. It’s the perfect environment to encourage innovation and the exchanging of ideas, or as Facebook calls it “friction-less” working.

Another great advantage to this type of seating arrangement is the building of relationships. At Facebook there are 2,800 employees spread out in the Frank Gehry designed building having no partitions means that they are all easily accessible. Facebook and Bradfield are not the only business leading brands that use open plan offices other big names include: Apple, Google and the financial firm American Express.

However, it would be unwise to only extol the virtues of open plan working without considering the drawbacks. For people who are more inclined to being introverted, a noisy open atmosphere can be highly distracting. Introverts may need alone time to focus and can be easily overwhelmed by external stimuli. A lack of dividers between desks leads to an environment where introverts are unable to thrive. In extreme cases there could be a negative on productivity. A 2013 study backs this theory up as it reported that nearly half of the employees surveyed said the lack of sound privacy was a significant problem.

I’ve got some tips to help you survive the challenges of an open plan office:

1. Take a break on your own. It will allow you to reset your mind. Alternatively go outside for a quick walk or eat your lunch in a nearby green space to find the alone time that you need.
2. Use headphones to indicate that you would rather not be disturbed. Your own private playlist can be the noise barrier against the cacophony from your colleagues.
3. Position your desk alongside a wall or window to create a wall on at least one side of your work station. You could be clever by using plants or a coat hanger to create a false barrier.
4. Book meeting rooms for some quiet-me time to get your work done.

If you are in favour of following Facebook and making your office space open here a couple of things you should consider.

• Only make the move once all levels of your organisation understand the benefits of doing so.
• Seek professional advice in designing workspaces to suit the different working patterns of your business.

Whether you are thinking of making changes in your organisation or need help coping with ongoing issues speak to myself or one of my colleagues for some friendly HR advice on 0207 977 9200 or email enquiries@bradfield.co.uk