Open offices make people talk less and email more

Open offices make people talk less and email more

Open-plan offices have taken off because of a desire to increase interaction and collaboration among workers. But an innovative new study has found that employees in open-plan offices spend 73% less time in face-to-face interactions. Email and messaging use shot up by over 67%.

 

The study is the first to track the impacts of open-plan offices using objective measures of communication. It used electronic badges and microphones to monitor interactions among employees and tracked changes in email use.

 

The findings build on previous research, which has found, for instance, open-plan work environments compromise employees’ ability to focus and concentrate on their work.

Productivity Addiction

Productivity Addiction (CJ Chilvers)

“I’m sorry if I got you hooked on productivity stuff. I think I was good at what I did. I think 43 Folders was a very good site and most of what I posted was pretty good. With that said, I did know that it was addictive. The exact kind of tick and personal deficit that leads you to need all of these lifehacks is same thing that’s going to keep you from ever knowing when to stop.” — Merlin Mann