Open plan offices are all the rage at the moment, favoured
for their relatively low cost and inherent promotion of collaborative working.
There are however some downsides, such as a lack of privacy and high levels of
noise, and now there may be another negative to add to the list as a new report
published in the New Zealand Medical Journal by the University of Canterbury
has found that such office layouts may in fact be contributing to the spread of
illness amongst the workforce.
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Img: William Brawley/Flickr |
In compiling the report the research team conducted a
literature review of 15 previous studies into open plan offices, and ultimately
found that those working in such large open spaces were more likely to get sick
more frequently and as a result perform less efficiently.
“The findings discovered that what people are told about
[open plan] offices is that they improve communication and teamwork, but there
isn’t strong evidence for that,” asserts lead researcher Professor Ann Richardson
of the University of Canterbury. “There was evidence that they increase
sickness, absence and emotional cognitive irritation, and decrease mental
work ability and productivity and job satisfaction.
“There was one paper that suggested hot-desking was even
worse than open spaces where people have a designated desk,” Prof Richardson
continued.
The tech giants of Silicon Valley have been major driving
forces in the shift towards open-plan offices, but cost too is a factor. The researchers
found that many sway towards an open layout as they are not only easier to
construct, but also cheaper in the long run as the same area can accommodate a
larger workforce. For example, 10-20% of a typical university’s total costs can
be taken up in allocating space, and savings are often made by decreasing space
provided for staff.
“Our main reason for publishing this was to alert people to
the harmful effects of this office design,” states Prof Richardson. “We thought
when architects design buildings, they could think economically but at the same
time take these problems into account and design something that has more
individual offices.
“Some of the things we read that could improve
open plan offices were things like making sure there was privacy, so partitions
between spaces, and ways to reduce noise, because people find noise very
stressful.”
Sam Bonson
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He is currently
working as a content writer, journalist & editor as he continues to expand
his horizons.
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