Today, workplaces are ensuring that they avoid clusters of employees, create separate workstations for employees, and maintain appropriate physical distance in order to avoid the spread of infection as much as possible.  

 
The concept of open offices originated in Germany around the 1950s. The idea of an open office environment highly promotes openness over restrictions. It was designed to bring about a healthy, interactive and more inviting atmosphere where positive views and emotions, innovations, creativity, and ideas flow. With the advent of this pandemic, we are now questioning the very existence of open office spaces. But why did big companies start following this concept in the first place and was it really the right decision? Let’s take a deeper look at it.   

There are many pros that lured big companies like these into adapting this concept and bringing it back. Open space offices are relatively cheaper as compared to setting up highly furnished spaces, thus, saving a large chunk of money. They provide safer and more comfortable spaces for interaction and help in improving proficiency and collaboration among employees. The open space structure humanizes superiors and improves trust, reliability, accountability, and flexibility.    

All of these pros stand countered at the moment, making us question whether the open office concept will survive post COVID or not. Even before the pandemic in 2020, the concept of open offices was beginning to get questioned because of reasons like job dissatisfaction among employees, lack of privacy and concentration. The harsh reality is that instead of increasing productivity, it led to around a 15% fall in the efficiency and productivity of employees.