The new trend of open space workplaces is currently on the rise and remains one of the most loved and futuristic concepts in the eyes of new era employees especially gen-Y who are interested in a collaborative and creative workplace.

It has been found that open space workplaces are not only related to new office designs to keep up with modern interior designs, but it also helps employees to get the most out of the work. However, It has been found that the concept is not as much appreciated as it seems, with employees having contrasting views about the open workspace design. According to the analysis of a productivity study, Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests that 58% of employees found increased productivity in the workplace under a open space work plan while the same study also found that introvert personalities performed better with privacy in the workplace.

It was found according to the data that the UK has 32% of the employees working in such a workplace and 27% of employees in Spain followed by 25% in Netherland, 22% in Sweden, 17% in France and 11% in Germany.

Why Choose an Open Workspace?

Open work place provides one of the best solutions to the creativity issues that the employees faces and also gives the atmosphere a great collaborative punch that is required to push contribution at work and help to foster friendships.

It has been observed that friendships are responsible for welcoming crucial suggestions at work and it also plays an important role in making the atmosphere even more favorable to work. Multinational giants such as Facebook, Samsung and Google have all chosen open layout workspaces not only because of a new trend but to also achieve higher interaction between different groups of workers within the organization. For example, by creating social spaces with coffee machines, recreational equipment has boosted social interaction between employees which leading to a higher exchange rate of ideas and morale of the company.

Though open work space has benefitted several companies, it has got some issues that should be taken into consideration to understand the concept of such a workplace since higher worker interaction may not necessarily mean there would be ongoing work discussion. Here is a list of consequences of adopting a open workspace design to reflect upon. 

The Limitations

• Privacy and noise issues: It has been admitted by almost 52% of the employees all around that open workplaces lack privacy at work and has got lots of noise and other issues to be concerned with. It has been observed that noises such as mobile phone buzzing and other conversations are responsible for making it difficult to concentrate at work.

• Prone to bacterial infections: These spaces are made up of benches and other collaborative setting options which allow no private cabin spaces and has got much allowance for the bacterial and other viruses to get an opportunity to identify a new host and a new medium to travel through mediums. Often, it is seen that some of the spaces have faulty air conditioners which are responsible for such bacterial outbreaks. Mostly, it has been found that diseases concerning respiratory problems are much evident in the office and multiple uses of keyboards and other hardware give room for the bacteria to spread manually on a larger level. 

The Benefits of an Open Workspace

• Design: It is quite evident that the open workplace helps cut down cost in terms of furniture and construction required such as walls between rooms. It helps businesses to achieve several objectives with through design such as provide seating, common cafeteria, social space and most importantly higher interaction between employees.

• Responsiveness: It is quite usual when people do sit together and are looking for a solution in a collaborative environment, responsiveness comes in action and any work or any issues are dealt with sheer responsiveness. Communication is also improved, and employees tend to communicate even better and get the most out of the talks regarding work.

• Competition: Such a workplace gives room for the competition on an active level which is crucial when it comes to employee performance at the office. Due to the transparency at the workplace, employees are conscious of others activities, this gives employers an added advantage to put star performers among average performers to boost overall performance as well as to ensure employees are engaged at work.

While the open workspace plan has been adopted by several businesses, it should also be assessed and evaluated by a business before implementation based on several factors such as industry type, culture of the organization and the outcome the company is seeking to achieve out of this design such as higher interaction, transparency or agile decision-making.