Open plan offices turn out to do more harm than good(2)

Thoughts are interrupted once every three minutes

According to Nicole Millard, a specialist in data, analytics and emerging technologies at BT, in addition to lower job satisfaction, employees working in open plan offices are "interrupted" on average every three minutes.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Millard said that large offices are inefficient and will certainly become extinct in the future. For introverted employees in particular, such spaces will "hit" them harder.

The open workspace was originally designed to boost morale and encourage teamwork, which requires employees to be closer to the people they work with regularly, preferably sitting together. But Nicole says that if people are too close together, it can be socially awkward and some people choose to be silent, as if they are stuck in a lift. After all, employees aren't all 'familiar' and don't all like to expose all their work 'habits' to their colleagues. "The problem with the open plan office is that it's a 'one size fits all' model that doesn't really suit anyone," says Millard. Millard says. We are interrupted every three minutes, and it takes between eight and 20 minutes to get back on track and get our thoughts back.

Task switching distractions delay things

According to Millard, the most common and major of these 'distractions' are checking emails, having frequent meetings and interacting with other colleagues, which can put employees into a 'task switching' mode. This mode is not as easy as it sounds, as we usually encounter crashes and lags when switching between programs on our computers, and the human brain can't cope with so many program "caches".

In fact, this pattern of task switching often leads to work being overlooked or forgotten. One common scenario is when you get up to call it a day and find yourself with unclosed windows and unsent emails on your computer. Obviously, your brain has left them behind after the 'interruption'.

The future holds the promise of a coffee office environment

So, does this mean that all work will be affected?

Millard doesn't think so, as socialising and teamwork will still be a necessary part of the future of work. It's just that we need to rethink the 'definition' of office space, employees need a balance between 'us' and 'me', and company decision-makers need to provide the opportunity for The company's decision-makers need to offer employees the opportunity to choose how they work, for example by working from home.

Of course, it is not realistic to work from home together - after all, 'home crouching' looks nice but is lonely and has other 'distractions'. It is better to create a "coffee office" environment in the company, where everyone has the opportunity to get together and have a space of their own.

Millard paints a picture of the future of work, where employees are 'backpackers', carrying their offices in their own bags and gathering in small groups to work on their own, either in a coffee shop or in a 'coffee office' environment that provides space. A "coffee office" environment. Perhaps by that time, desks in offices will not even be a necessity.