The Office, starring Steve Carell, explored the absurd extremes of open-office corporate culture at fictional Dunder Mifflin. During the show’s run from 2005-2013, open concept was all the rage. On the sitcom, the open-plan design was essentially the main character—the catalyst for office chaos.
Open offices were generally designed for higher efficiency and collaboration while allowing micromanaging bosses like Carell’s “Michael Scott” to spy on unmotivated slackers like Jim Halpert and brown-nosing ninnies like Dwight Shrute. Inevitably, coworker interruptions, noisy personal calls, public dramas, and privacy intrusions dominated the hit sitcom’s work day—exaggerated scenarios of the real corporate world.
Or were they? Recent studies show that open-floor workspaces may not increase efficiency and productivity as much as advertised. In fact, they may have a disruptive effect on office morale. If The Officeis a barometer, this is no surprise (did they ever get work done?).