Open Offices

Published February 2000

Offices that are defined by partitions or other furniture arrangements rather than by full height walls.

Adequate secondary circulation is needed in open space plans to maintain an acceptable level of privacy and comfort. Workers feel that they have more space in their own work areas if they can look up and see some open space outside their workstations.

There is good evidence to show that the environment in open-plan offices often fails to satisfy personal work privacy requirements and often is a highly distracting setting in which to work. These problems create stress for some employees. Typically, the problems of poor privacy and frequent distractions are worse for those who are performing complex work that demands concentrated effort, such as professionals and managers. Those performing less demanding or even boring work typically show a more favorable reaction to open plans because of the increased opportunity of informal social contact.