The open-plan office has advantages – better than a single room?

The open-plan office has advantages that companies can take advantage of. What is important is a good facility and clear rules that make collaboration possible. The organization in the workplace as well as the organization in the office as a space play an important role.

Too loud, too much distraction, not a good atmosphere (literally and figuratively): open-plan offices are not popular everywhere. Concentrated work in the office – what can I do? is often difficult here, because the Desk stands close together with the neighbor who Office chair creaks, the air is stuffy. Originally, the one large office for everyone was intended to promote communication among colleagues and within the team. Short routes, advice and assistance always available – these are noble thoughts. And the open-plan office actually offers these advantages. But for it to really work, a few things have to be taken into account. Firstly, the open-plan office does not only bring advantages in every company, and secondly, it depends on the right furnishings. Clear rules must be adhered to so that all employees feel comfortable and can work productively.

• Open-plan office: rules, organization, structures
• Does the open-plan office have any advantages? Which?
• What speaks against an open-plan office?
• Conclusion: Office organization tips: This is how big an open-plan office can be

Rules, organization, structures: an office with many workstations is not enough

Small changes often make working in an open-plan office much more pleasant. The employer should pay particular attention to room acoustics: sound-absorbing elements can improve the working atmosphere enormously. The Office organization is adapted with tips and tricks: Noisy devices such as printers and scanners as well as copiers do not belong in the office, but in the hallway or in a neighboring room. If it does get too loud, there are several options:

• A quiet room ensures that individual employees can retreat to work undisturbed.
• Earplugs can help block out annoying key clacking. But not all people can cope with the “shooting plugs” because their own body noises are also annoying.
• Headphones and a basic selection of calm music without lyrics block out annoying noises and can promote concentration.
• Flexitime allows the office to become a little emptier at certain times, and home office is also a way to relieve pressure on large office spaces, at least on a daily basis.

LARGE OFFICE RULES

Clear agreements among employees prevent friction (Open plan office rules): Agreements regarding room temperature and ventilation are just as important as clear regulations regarding loud telephone calls, eating at work and more. An open-plan office with rules works, but the hope of mutual consideration doesn't work.

ALL WORK IN THE SAME OFFICE – AT THEIR OWN WORKPLACE

In an open-plan office, everyone sits in one room, but there should still be their own desks. The individual tables and workstations must allow for individual office organization. Because everyone works a little differently, needs their own order in the workplace and uses a filing system that is different from others when organizing their office. And that is also important today, because not everything is 100% digital. There are still documents to be handled, notes to be taken, coffee mugs needed, and the like.

Who has their workplace where should be selected based on their needs. Tables and chairs can become disorganized if an employee needs another workspace. If you get cold easily, ideally you should not sit in the draft in front of the door, but rather closer to the heater. People who often let their eyes wander into the distance when thinking and need this short break for their brain should be able to look out the window from their workplace. However, if you want to avoid all distractions, you should find a place in a quiet corner. In the office, the organization of individual workstations, the allocation and possible changes only work if everyone talks to each other and behaves with respect and appreciation towards one another.

The furniture is a completely different topic. The office must be functional and cost-effective, no question. but this must not be at the expense of employees and their health. Ergonomic chairs and tables, perhaps even a few optional standing desks, bring all work surfaces and seats to the required height. The Office furniture should be height adjustable, and of course the electronic equipment should also be egonomic. Depending on your personal anatomy and way of working, standard mice on computers can cause tendonitis and tennis elbow, and keyboards can cause poor posture and back pain. A pleasant and ergonomically designed workplace for every employee in an open-plan office has only advantages and ensures a more pleasant atmosphere.

Does the open-plan office have any advantages? Which

Not every company benefits from an open-plan office. For example, it makes little sense where people work with great concentration on their own projects and are rather independent of their colleagues. But that is rarely the case. Most of the time, the employees involved in a project have to communicate with each other and work together in one way or another.

So where exactly does the open-plan office have advantages? The better communication through the physical proximity of colleagues has already been mentioned. Other open-plan office advantages include:

• Better exchange of ideas: Teamwork not only happens faster, but also more intensively.
• More creativity: When working together, ideas are sometimes taken up and further developed by colleagues.
• More motivation: It's easier to think and work together, and people like to be influenced by their moods.
• More cohesion: Teams pull together and are more likely to work together when everyone is in the same room and there is physical proximity.
• Efficiency: You can also plan a meeting to exchange ideas and arrange appointments for the exchange via phone call, chat or email. It's quicker and easier if everyone can just sit in one room and talk to each other at any time.
• Better flexibility: Organization in the office is more economical if the open-plan office accommodates many employees. From security to communication to shared resources, the open-plan office has advantages.
• Less costs: The cost of designing the office space is lower with an open-plan office.

The open-plan office doesn't just have advantages: What speaks against an open-plan office?

Keeping things tidy in the office should be easier for employees if they share the space with others. But that's not the case, and above all, forced closeness often promotes conflict. Because everyone has a different idea of ​​how to keep order in the office. Other disadvantages are:

• Little privacy: It has already been mentioned: There is no privacy in an open-plan office. From the organization at work to the smell of herbal tea to the phone call from your daughter's school, everything is public. According to psychologists, this leads to increased aggressiveness.
• Falling productivity: If everyone is clicking on the computer keyboard at the same time, a call comes in here and there, the air conditioning is purring, a colleague is shuffling his feet under the table and someone else is humming while working, productivity drops. Distraction is caused not only by the high noise level, but also by movement in the room, scents and temperatures. This is completely natural and has nothing to do with “sensitivity”.
• Less job satisfaction: When aggression comes, the stress level rises and the potential for conflict has to be constantly dealt with, this has a negative impact on the health and motivation of the employees. But the psyche also suffers, the job is perceived as stressful and the fun decreases. And as a result, the working atmosphere suffers, which further reduces satisfaction.
• Bad air and bad light: Air conditioning systems regulate the room temperature, but not according to individual needs. In addition, the air from the system, which is often too dry and smells stale, is more difficult to tolerate. In addition, there is artificial light, which cannot replace daylight in any way. Both can lead to discomfort and even health problems.
• More cases of illness: Studies have found that 90% of those working in open-plan offices report negative health effects. In open-plan offices, employees are more likely to be absent due to illness and more people are absent. According to surveys, 50% of people in individual offices have not become ill at all within the last year; in two-room offices the figure was 38% and in open-plan offices only 30%. Flu viruses in particular spread quickly.

Conclusion: Tips for office organization: this is how big an open-plan office can be

There is no exact size and no one can yet draw a clear limit. The illness numbers mentioned above already indicate that anything over 5 people can be problematic - but doesn't have to be. Perhaps the solution lies not in the maximum number of people who should work in an open-plan office, but in the alternatives available. If companies offer open-plan offices but at the same time allow home offices, set up quiet areas and rooms with individual workstations and convert the office to flexitime, that may be a solution.

Employees can then choose, depending on their needs, whether they currently need to communicate with colleagues or prefer to work at home with their own office organization and filing system. However, the likely frequent changes of location place high demands on order in the workplace.