Open-plan offices make employees less productive, less happy, and more likely to get sick
Earlier this week I published a post asking “Are your employees misaligned?” where I cited a story about our acquiring company plucking software developers from their private offices and stuffing them into 6’x6′ cubes. This article from Quartz.com cites lots of studies that document the negative consequences of open-plan offices.
I’ve long been a proponent of giving every employee his or her own office. A private office provides the worker with a greater sense of status and autonomy than a cubicle, leading to better productivity. I can say from experience that private offices also provided a recruiting advantage over companies with cubicles. Plus, what employee is excited to show their family the cubicle where they work?