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Comment by utf985 | Hacker News Reader

I get a bit bewildered every time I see someone complaining about open offices as it always begs the question - what kind of alternative do they demand exactly? I have addressed this on many threads and comments but somehow I never gen an answer.

Only thing I can think of are cubicles but to me they seem a lot worse than the open office and they're definitely not a thing here in Europe. Out of all the companies and interviews I've been to and people in the industry that I know, I have yet to see a cubicle outside of a hollywood movie.

The other thing I suppose is where literally every employee gets their own office. But is that really a thing? Because I've never heard of something like that.

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Cubicles, working remote, conference rooms. You ask for alternatives but automatically rule out the largest alternative (cubicles)? Feels like your expectations are the odd ones

As I said, they're basically non-existent here, so they're definitely not an alternative for me.

> The other thing I suppose is where literally every employee gets their own office. But is that really a thing? Because I've never heard of something like that.

This used to be the case. Companies like Microsoft gave everyone their own office (I'm not sure what the current policy is, I would assume they kept it the same).

I for one hate cubicles the most. They have none of the privacy but also none of the social collaboration, you can't lean over and talk to your coworker.

An entry-level job gave me an office in 1992. Microsoft gave me half an office in 2005. Nobody else.

> lean over and talk to your coworker

There are no quick questions when you were concentrating. If we need to talk about the project, first we should step away from the desks, because everyone else is still trying to code.

That's your perspective, and that's fine. From my perspective and the way my team works, we lean over and chat. It doesn't bother our team because this is how we have been working. Your mileage may vary and that's perfectly reasonable to feel differently.

If you cant go individual offices than go, small offices, with 2 - 3 people inside.

If that doesn't work try going bigger, I'd prefer three separate 10 people offices that, one open.

And if you cant do that, and are stuck with one big place, put desks at sides, and put some kind of separator (whiteboards, message boards, kids pictures, self standing walls whatever) in the middle, and every few desks.

> The other thing I suppose is where literally every employee gets their own office. But is that really a thing? Because I've never heard of something like that.

2-3 people in an office with a small room, with a door and a window. put all of the break, utility, conference, etc rooms in the middle. build more like a hotel than a brutalist cube.

> The other thing I suppose is where literally every employee gets their own office. But is that really a thing? Because I've never heard of something like that.

Maybe not an office each, but 2-5 people to a room, with real walls and a door? Absolutely.

I want a traditional cube farm.

I actually work in one right now. I love my company, and pretty much the only thing that could get me to quit would be if they dropped the cube farm and switched to an open office.

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