That looks quiet and positively spacious compared to the last open office environment I did time in.
Imagine that same space but 4 people between the column and the window instead of just 2. Then make the space 3x as long. Then reduce the space between the backs of the chairs by 50%.
Even though everyone in the space was doing individual programming / sysadmin work, the space was extremely loud just from a few spontaneous conversations between people working on the same thing together. Everyone wore headphones nearly all the time, only taking them off if they needed to talk / shout to the people near them about something. Often, if you needed to talk with someone sitting 4 desks away, the easiest way to do it was over IM.
Nope, just a massively overcrowded office building. The ventilation system could barely keep up. But, management made it clear to us that the reason for the open office layout was to encourage collaboration and foster creativity!
Where I worked, it was just six wooden tables with computers on them. It was awful. They didn’t have room for cubicles, so it was pretty much the only option, but that didn’t make it any less awful.
That looks quiet and positively spacious compared to the last open office environment I did time in.
Imagine that same space but 4 people between the column and the window instead of just 2. Then make the space 3x as long. Then reduce the space between the backs of the chairs by 50%.
Even though everyone in the space was doing individual programming / sysadmin work, the space was extremely loud just from a few spontaneous conversations between people working on the same thing together. Everyone wore headphones nearly all the time, only taking them off if they needed to talk / shout to the people near them about something. Often, if you needed to talk with someone sitting 4 desks away, the easiest way to do it was over IM.
God damn did you work in a giant shipping container?
Nope, just a massively overcrowded office building. The ventilation system could barely keep up. But, management made it clear to us that the reason for the open office layout was to encourage collaboration and foster creativity!
Of course! That’s what every call center needs where you go by the script! Collaboration and creativity.
This wasn’t a call center, it was a sysadmin / software development
sweatshopworkspace.Where I worked, it was just six wooden tables with computers on them. It was awful. They didn’t have room for cubicles, so it was pretty much the only option, but that didn’t make it any less awful.