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In recent years, open-plan offices have been the subject of considerable controversy. This journal argues that the benefits of open-plan offices which can be defined as the interior office space without the partition of wall or door are less than the disadvantages of it and the main reason for the dissatisfaction with the open-plan offices is the lack of privacy (especially in acoustics). The purpose of this journal is to evaluate the impact of conflict between advantages and disadvantages of open office on employee’s overall satisfaction.
Summary
In this journal, the author used the data of occupant survey database from CBE (Center for the Built Environment) to analyze the satisfaction level of people. The relationship between satisfaction with various IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) factors and office layouts, the differences of the emphasis on IEQ factors in differences working environments and if the advantages of open office space can offset the negative effects of its disadvantages are the three main objects of analysis and research. According to the data analysis, the satisfaction index of all working environments is most affected by the size of available space. At the same time, the most unsatisfactory proportion in open office environment is about voice privacy.
Critique
This journal is well-organized. It uses data and charts to clearly express the differences in the satisfaction of people with different aspects of the environment in different working environments. For example, people in private office environment may pay more attention to interaction and those who in open-plan offices may pay more attention to privacy. Although each office has different needs, in this journal, people in closed private offices are the most satisfied with the working environment by comparing the satisfaction of different working environment groups. Also, it demonstrates with actual data that the advantages of easy communication and cooperation in open offices do not offset the negative effects of increased noise and lack of privacy.
However, the investigation of satisfaction is very subjective. From the statistics of interviewee in the journal, there are 65% of the age group and 75% of the job categories are unknown. Another report mentioned that age and personality have an impact on perceptions of the work environment (Rasila, H., & Rothe, P., 2012). Introverts may be more sensitive to privacy and noise issues, while extroverts may be more concerned about the convenience of interaction. According to the survey, the results showed that those interviewees liked the open working environment. Although the voice privacy is not denied, those employees were happier to be sitting with their friends. Thus, it is difficult to determine the satisfaction of open office.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this journal shows that the advantages of interactive convenience in open office cannot offset the negative effects of noise and privacy, and people may prefer private office environment. However, although noise and privacy are issues that cannot be ignored in an open office environment, it cannot be denied that they have advantages. Therefore, how to integrate openness and privacy may become a new trend in the development of open-plan office in the future.
References
- Kim, J., & de Dear, R. (2013). Workspace Satisfaction: The Privacy-Communication Trade-Off in Open-Plan Offices. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36(C), 1826. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0272494413000340
- Rasila, H., & Rothe, P. (2012). A Problem Is a Problem Is a Benefit? Generation Y Perceptions of Open-Plan Offices. Property Management, 30(4), 362375. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/docview/1033810528?rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
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