The Modern Work Environment

If I told you that a software engineer and salesperson need the exact same skills and tools to accomplish their job, you would call me crazy. However, when we take a software engineer and salesperson, stick them in the exact same office environment and expect them to thrive, why are we surprised when both are disgruntled(...) and disengaged(...) ? Like an antibiotic prescribed too indiscriminately(...) , many office design concepts have been implemented(...) so widely and dogmatically(...) that their intended benefits backfire(...) . Researchers are discovering that using one uniform office design to serve very different departments and individuals is, at best, idealistic, and, at worst, extremely detrimental(...) to productivity and wellbeing. The “open office” concept, with one space and shared tables for everyone, is a great example. Originally conceived(...) as a way to increase collaboration(...) , transparency, and equality in the office, the open concept creates the opposite effect when it’s applied with broad brushstrokes. As the design firm Gensler concluded from a survey of over 90,000 workers, when an open office sacrifices focus to collaboration, both suffer. People who are constantly distracted from their core work grow deeply frustrated and less likely to socialize and collaborate with their co-workers. The prevalence(...) and impact of poor office design is astounding. In an international IPSOS survey commissioned by office supplier Steelcase, 84% of workers reported that their work environment did not allow them to concentrate(...) easily, express ideas freely, work in teams without interruption, or choose where to work based on the task at hand. They found a lack of privacy to be one of the most sinister office issues, though they cautioned that a wholesale(...) shift to private offices is no solution; it’s all about striking(...) a balance. Like the devices and software that power information businesses, office design must be viewed as a tool that we can leverage(...) in the pursuit of productivity, well-being, and engagement. Instead of having one office environment, we need a collage of environments, each tailored to the needs of the departments and individuals that will actually use them. (Reading text adapted from fastcompany)