Open-plan offices first became fashionable, in America in the 1890s. After, mechanical engineer, Frederick Winslow Taylor, promoted his ‘scientific management’ design, for ultra-efficient mass production.
Clerical workers were lined up in rows, in large rooms and tasks were divided into repetitive acts, allowing a continuous flow of work and close control by managers. It should be pointed out, these managers often had their own office.
They were known as the workplaces of the future, but experts have found, open-plan offices are making us ‘shockingly’ sick.
New reports claim, the noise, overcrowding and invasion of privacy can raise workers blood pressure and lead to stress, exhaustion and flu.
Academics found that employee’s lack of personal space, can make them feel insecure and aggressive, reducing their concentration span and lowering their productivity.
Dr Vinesh Oommen, a public health expert at Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane, Australia, reviewed all past research into how open-plan workplaces affect workers.
He said, ‘the evidence we found was absolutely shocking. In 90 per cent of research, the outcome of working in an open-plan office was seen as negative. Open-plan offices caused high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure and a high staff turnover….everyone can see what you are doing on the computer and hear what you are saying on the phone, and there is a feeling of insecurity.
Dr Oommen, went on to state that, in open plan offices ‘there is also a higher chance of workplace conflicts – sitting so close to someone each time their phone rings, you can get irritated. Most of us can relate to that.’
The study found, that workers react to the inconvenience of open plan office space, by becoming territorial and putting up photos and cards at their workstation.
But money-saving employers favour vast rows of desks, over traditional smaller rooms. And managers believe that they encourage interaction, which in turn, gets creative juices flowing.
However, according to the study, the cons far outweigh the pros. The report says that workers who move from a private workspace, to an open-plan office, often report difficulty concentrating. This is because of increased interruptions and diversions, like noise from photocopiers, phone conversations, air-conditioning, lift doors, employee chat and people moving around.
The study finds such interruptions can lead to accidents as employees become irritated and are unable to concentrate. A lack of privacy also contributes to stress, with many feeling their work and conversations are always being monitored, because they are forced to conduct their business in a public area.
Many experience feelings of a loss of control and become worried that their private conversations are being overheard. Whilst they also become unwillingly privy to the private conversations of others.
The study also finds those in open-plan offices are more prone to eye, nose and throat irritations and to contracting the flu.
Will this study be listened to? Or will employers continue to use the most cost effective method, of an open plan office space. What do you think?
