Re:Why Open Offices?
by zimpenfish on Wednesday July 29, 2015 @11:57AM
(#9969463)
> They don't do anything for visual distractions
Until recently I was sat next to someone who not only drummed on the desk and with his feet but spent half the day twirling around on his chair like it was a damned fairground ride. Since moving to a new desk, my office life is much less tense and I'm a lot more productive.
Sure, but that doesn't mean you just choose whatever because it won't be best for everyone. You pick what will work best for most people, and studies consistently show that is not an open office layout.
> In today's age of agility, rapid development, minimum viable products, continuous deployment, and short iterations
Not every developer is writing code for a seed stage startup trying to get an MVP out the door. In fact, most aren't. For small/early-stage startups I totally think open offices make the most sense.
> Provide the team with good quality headphones
Headphones help decrease audio distractions, but not nearly as much as offices or cubicles. They don't do anything for visual distractions. And not everyone is able to use them (many people find the music as, or more, distracting than the audio distractions they're trying to avoid).