Comments on: Does your workspace suck?

By: Jon Guck

Jon Guck — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:53:06 +0000

These spaces are designed or bought by managers who look for “synergy”, and a pat on the back for thinking in those terms. These layouts are completley in-effective. Privacy results in higher productivity, and better results. Any small conference room can be used for collaborating, when needed, which is about 10% of the time.Anybody who sits in these things 10 hours a day will tell you the same thing.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:43:06 +0000

My productivity is highest when I–™m fully relaxed.

I enjoy being in my workspace, and I can work productively for many hours without feeling like I–™ve lost my humanity. I make your workspace look attractive to ME.

Use only living, oxygen-generating plants, not lifeless fake ones.

I love scented candles, especially the 3–³x6–³ pillars. They not only make my office smell good, but the colorful candles and decorative candle holders add visual appeal as well. My favorites aromas are vanilla and lemon. I have almost a dozen scented candles in my office at any one time.

I use the free WinAmp player and listen to streaming music from Digitally Imported.

I tested dozens of different chairs before picking this one. It–™s about 10 years old now though, so this would probably be a good time for me to take another look to see if I can find an even better one.

True office collaboration still requires you to get up and actually talk to people.

Clean and clear cut

By: Emmy

Emmy — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:51:45 +0000

Well, the ‘Management’ powers-that-be at my law firm were completely short sighted when they dumped the open plan scenario on us.

I can see why a collaborative environment would be essential for group tasks like some mentioned above. However, I am a solicitor and my work is 90% solitary by nature. Except now, I lose about 50% of my work focus/output due to yabbering workmates on their phones, dictation machines. I sometimes find myself staring blankly at my screen having forgot what I was doing five seconds prior. This happens about 15-20 times a day. Productive? I think not.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:35:30 +0000

Yeah, my workspace sucks. I work at a joyn. It’s a joke. There’s zero privacy and constant noise. Most of us wear headphones now. God I hate my job. I can’t really do my job. There’s no way to concentrate with all the distractions. What a waste of money. All because somebody wanted us to look ‘cool’.

By: Betty

Betty — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:56:31 +0000

Gear up for grub with a tripleheader of pigskin, including a meeting of brothers in Dallas. Everybody knows it’s been a rough year for her, but find out who else had issues

By: Ronni

Ronni — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:57:49 +0000

My workspace is kind of a mix of both. No cubicle walls, and we’re in pods of four. Not much privacy, but at least it’s not a long table, which I think was the original plan before people put up a big stink. We’re editors, so we need SOME kind of shield so we can concentrate!

By: Jay

Jay — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:56:24 +0000

Looks like one of my personal versions of hell. Makes me thankful for what I have, I suppose.

By: damares

damares — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:45:24 +0000

horrifying. has anyone been to the welfare department? very similar if not identical. also, it seems the ‘rude/annoying/obtrusive/slacker coworker’ was not mixed into the equation… i don’t like it. the design seems it would work better in a class room type setting.

By: p

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:41:52 +0000

Looks great, but in reality, it’s absolutely impractical. If you have ever worked in an office environment, you know that you can not control who your cubicle mates will be and if they will be as neat or messy as you.

This set up looks like it might work for temporary consultants, but definitely not for full timers or even part timers. But would you actually spend that much money for temporary consultants?

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:40:28 +0000

I worked briefly at a company with a group desk thingy like this. Here in Holland this layout is very typical, especially in design and marketing shops. I hated hated hated it. We first had no where at all to put any personal items (backpack, purse, etc) except in cubbies on the other side of the room. I tried to keep my workspace clean, my neighbor did not. The whole concept invites a notion of total lack of any personal space. When I’m brainstorming and working throug ideas, I don’t really want to share the brainfarts that come first.

People would set their crap down on my workspace and walk away. I’d come back from lunch to find people sitting on my workspace in an ‘informal brainstorm meeting’ To keep clutter in check, we had a rule about how many knick-knacks and personal items we could leave in our space, leaving me feeling like I was totally subjected to the personal tastes of my boss - which really stifled my own creativity.

Most of these spaces work best for public libraries or internet cafes. It makes for a space that might impress your clients with its slickness, but it’s like working in an office run by big brother. Creativity cannot be so regulated.