The supposed benefits of open-plan offices do not outweigh the costs

from bps-research-digest.blogspot.no/2013/08/the-supposed-benefits-of-open-plan.html

“The worlds of business, office design and psychology really need to get their heads together. Large open-plan offices have become the norm across modern cities despite a sizeable literature documenting the disadvantages, including increased distraction and diminished worker satisfaction.

Open-plan offices are favoured by companies largely because of economic factors”

….

“Our results categorically contradict the industry-accepted wisdom that open-plan layout enhances communication between colleagues and improves occupants’ overall work environmental satisfaction,” the researchers concluded. They added: “… considering previous researchers’ finding that satisfaction with workspace environment is closely related to perceived productivity, job satisfaction and organisational outcomes, the open-plan proponents’ argument that open-plan improves morale and productivity appears to have no basis in the research literature.”

LKNA13 – #techsafety

nice talk by @JoshuaKerievsky, Industrial Logic, @ lkna13

here’s some twitter notes.

Nayan Hajratwala (@nhajratwTue Apr 30):
“Cheerleading for better quality doesn’t work” -@joshuakerievsky #lkna13 #techsafety

Nayan Hajratwala (@nhajratwTue Apr 30):
Enron: Respect, Integrity, Communication, Excellence. “Your little list of values is worthless” -@joshuakerievsky #lkna13 #techsafety

@ingvald, apr 30TDD and CD has fundamentally made sw dev less stressful. @JoshuaKerievsky #lkna13 #techsafety

@ingvald, apr 30: «working with CVS is hurting my soul.» heard by @JoshuaKerievsky, on tech safety #lkna13

Nayan Hajratwala (@nhajratwTue Apr 30):
“TechSafety: An Unexpected Pathway to Excellence” -@joshuakerievsky #lkna13

Nayan Hajratwala (@nhajratwTue Apr 30):
Emotional Injuries: Schedule Stress, Lost Respect, Fear of Failure, Torn Trust, etc. -@joshuakerievsky #lkna13 #techsafety

Nayan Hajratwala (@nhajratwTue Apr 30):
Cognitive Injury: Release Rage (already working a lot, and extra time for releases cut into your life) -@joshuakerievsky #lkna13 #techsafety

Julia Wester (@EverydayKanbanTue Apr 30):
Don’t focus only on physical safety. It’s a whole worker experience. Address emotional and cognitive safety for culture improvement. #lkna13

Julia Wester (@EverydayKanbanTue Apr 30):
When ppl feel safe, they will feel freer to focus on adding value. #lkna13

Julia Wester (@EverydayKanbanTue Apr 30):
Need ways to visualize going too fast in software dev to increase safety. #techsafety #lkna13 @JoshuaKerievsky

Torbjörn Gyllebring (@drunkcodTue Apr 30):
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotole #lkna13 #TechSafety

Michele Sliger (@michelesligerTue Apr 30):
Loved @JoshuaKerievsky‘s talk on #techsafety at #lkna13. Focusing on all aspects of worker safety is an actionable way to be respectful.

Michele Sliger (@michelesligerTue Apr 30):
And really like the notion of admitting self-inflicted safety violations. I’m guilty of that. #techsafety #lkna13

Joshua Kerievsky (@JoshuaKerievskyWed May 01):
Thanks to all who tweeted with the new #techsafety hashtag at my #lkna13 talk today. We’re at the beginning of an important new journey.

Joshua Kerievsky (@JoshuaKerievskyWed May 01):
Trusting a system really means validating that it won’t injure you. #lkna13 #techsafety