But nearly all workers get distracted in an open plan workspace
More than four out of five employees in Australia and New Zealand believe working in an open plan office helps boost productivity and promote better engagement between colleagues, a new study suggested.
Research from communications tech firm Plantronics and Future Workplace shed light on the type of environments different generations of workers appreciate.
Of the total number of employees surveyed, nearly three in five (57%) said they prefer working in an open plan office more than in an office with a privacy-oriented floor plan.
As much as 81% of those who prefer open plan spaces claimed the setup allows them to collaborate with co-workers better and to be more productive at work.
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Andy Hurt, a spokesperson for Plantronics, said workers know the value of collaboration in the workplace. However, some employees also prefer working on their own or to be disengaged from co-workers to avoid distractions.
“We all work in different ways and have different productivity drivers,” Hurt said. “It’s clear that communication and collaboration technology can play a role in helping to establish a working environment that can cater to the varying needs of today’s multi-generational and varied workforce.”
The study highlighted the challenges of working in such an environment. The biggest concern, respondents said, are distractions:
- 99% said they get distracted in an open plan office
- 10% - are ‘always’ distracted in the setup
- 29% - are distracted ‘very often’
More than half of workers said activity around them makes it harder to listen or be heard during phone or video calls since the setup affects their ability to focus.
To solve such problems, 51% resort to using headphones while 28% choose to go to a quieter place in the office. However, 23% of respondents said they have yet to find an effective way to address workplace distractions.
