Open plan offices seem to have become the default design for workplaces. This is due largely to pragmatic advantages like cost savings and utilisation of floor space. However, just because they are popular doesn’t mean they are best.
According to a University of Leeds review of over 100 open plan studies, staff do tend to feel more sociable and included in such environment. But this comes at a cost to attention spans, productivity and creativity. A Danish study also found people in open plan offices took 62% more sick leave than staff in other environments.
What does this suggest? People might say they like open plan. It makes them feel good because they are in amongst it (when they’re not sick, of course). But there’s a hidden impact to their ability to actually work. Great for collaboration, bad for deliberation.