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Comment by tempodox | Hacker News Reader

> #6: Noisy, crowded offices.

I really do wonder why this point hasn't led to outright abolishment of open-plan offices.

Besides being a far cheaper option, the management-types making the decision typically benefits from an open floor plan office.

Their entire job revolves around communication with various different people around the office. Rarely ever does such a job demand focus time.

They are also typically extroverts who feel energized in a bustling office.

I don't think it's about money. Software engineer salaries are very high, and cubicles are a compromise that still saves space. I think it's because for most people, procrastination reduces output a lot more than distraction and noise, and they procrastinate less when everyone can see their screen.

We now have a 30-70% mix silence room versus team open plan. The silence room also is open plan but with library rules. And the walls are sounds proofed.

Does it help? (genuine question)

Oh yes forgot to add that. It is amazing. You either sit down in the quiet place for dedicated work. Or you sit in the normal area and are open for questions but also to pick up what is being discussed. People do respect the library rules. Equipment like desks and monitors is the same as well. Although I think the silent room could be a bit denser in desks.

I suspect it is too expensive to build closed offices for everyone. But what I don’t understand is why there are (almost) never a mix. A large open office room for normal work but also have a good portion of offices available for deep work that can be used on an ad-hoc basis.

Those offices have a tendency to become unofficial "permanent" offices, often "owned" by management.

When I got my own office after having spent a couple of years in either an open-plan or a room with 3-4 other people, I remember thinking "Wow, this is what productivity feels like!"

It turns out developer performance is not that important.

WFH

I remember the last time this discussion came up at work and half the people where saying "We don't need special quiet offices at work, since if I want quiet concentration I'll just work from home" and the other half "No! The whole reason I come into the office rather than WFH is to get quiet concentration".

It’s abundantly clear to us that the office is the only refuge some employees have from their own lives - whether that’s the demands of child care one one extreme to loneliness on the other. As a small company, I think the office is a benefit and employee investment rather than a prison or salt mine.

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