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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/296829
may 2014 BCBusiness 25 jeremy bruneel intel O pen-concept offices are the new norm for progressive and collaborative workplaces, but dissenting voices are sprouting up everywhere. A recent New Yorker blog cites studies dating back to 1997 that blame open-plan offices for employee dissatisfaction and lost productivity. According to the New Yorker, one psychologist concludes that increased distraction actually "impairs workers' ability to recall information, and even to do basic arithmetic." Recent blogs from Fast Company and the Harvard Business Review commiserate with a December 2013 University of Sydney study that finds a direct correlation between worker unhappiness and the noise and lack of privacy related to open offices. "Our results categorically contradict the industry-accepted wisdom that open-plan layout enhances communication between colleagues and improves occupants' overall work environmental satisfaction," reads the conclusion of the Sydney study. Research aside, local design and architecture firms continue to champion the open layout. Sarah Hollett, senior interior designer and project manager for Yaletown-based firm Counterpoint Interiors Inc., is a staunch supporter, citing a positive impact on office culture, equality and team collaboration. Counterpoint recently made-over its own space, ditching cubicles for an open layout with ergonomic workstations. "It's been night and day," says Hollett. "I've been able to get to know my co-workers on a way deeper level—I've been able to collaborate with them instantly." Going from semi-private cubicles to an open concept forced employees to establish boundaries and mutual respect, which Hollett says opened the communication lines. Fewer walls and doors mean more sunlight for staff and more workstations in smaller spaces, and open plans facilitate a more inviting corporate culture. From an employer's perspective, open concepts also offer the promise of cost savings, and in markets such as Vancouver, where office real estate is at a premium, it's not likely that companies will be rebuilding walls and installing doors anytime soon. Hollett says 75 per cent of the commercial office work at Counterpoint is converting offices from traditional cubicles and closed doors into open I t ' s y O u r b u s I n e s s Open and Shut New research says open- concept offices aren't all they're cracked up to be, so why are we still building them? by Kristen Hilderman h u m a n r e s o u r c e s 05/14 y 2 6 v i s u a l l e a r n i n g 2 7 e a s T e r n e u r o P e 2 8 c a l e n d a r W p25-29-Intel_may.indd 25 2014-04-09 3:12 PM