Open plan offices don’t live up to the hype, finds Harvard Business School study

Re:Open plan offices don’t live up to the hype, finds Harvar... by nine_k on Friday July 20, 2018 @11:21AM (#17575700)

Yelling in an open office is a no-no (unless you've assembled to sing a "happy birthday to you" anyway). Don't people around you feel distracted by someone shouting, and protest?

I've seen people putting small rear-view mirrors on desks or screen corners to notice people coming from behind. But here, I think, it would mostly take some talking (repeatedly) to your colleagues, and explaining why tapping or shouting does not work for you, and waving would be a better way.

Next time somebody shouts at you from behind, turn, say quietly "I don't react to shouting; please come and wave your hand quietly to get my attention", then turn back and continue to work.

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Re:Open plan offices don’t live up to the hype, finds Harvar... by npongratz on Friday July 20, 2018 @11:32AM (#17575815)

Thanks for the advice. As I alluded in my footnote, I haven't been effective in convincing anyone to change. Apparently it's just not something that's top of mind for a person who feels they need to get my immediate attention (and maybe one tenth of the time the "immediate" aspect is actually warranted).

And to be fair, my characterization of "shouting" is probably an exaggeration, but in the moment it's how my brain interprets the hailing.

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