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One study showed that, in addition to reducing employee well-being by 32 percent, open plan offices reduce employee productivity by 15 percent.Īnother study showed that office workers lose an average of 86 minutes a day due to distractions, which is 17 percent of a standard work day. However, there are two studies that can help with this. Finding the Hidden CostsĪs with "a symbolic sense of organizational mission," the complaints above are a bit difficult to quantify. Workers in open plan offices take 62 percent more sick leave than those who work in private offices. This health risk plays itself out in further lost productivity. Fully 9 out of 10 employees experience "high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure and a high staff turnover." Open plan offices are also a huge health risk. Open plan offices also make it more difficult for employees to think creatively or to work on complex tasks like analyzing figures or working on documents.Ī recent study found that 95 percent of employees want the ability to work privately, only 41 percent were able to do so, a third need to leave the office to get work completed. It's been known for decades that interruptions by colleagues reduces productivity, particularly for senior managers. While open plans create more opportunities for interactions, they also increase the number of interruptions, thus reducing attention spans and productivity. Unfortunately, numerous scientific studies have shows that open plan offices have huge drawbacks that counteract whatever positive effect they might be having.

Quantifying the financial value of those intangibles is difficult, but conventional wisdom is that they make organizations both more cohesive and more flexible. In addition, open plan offices "a symbolic sense of organizational mission, making employees feel like part of a more laid-back, innovative enterprise," according to The New Yorker. In other words, the same rented area that would accommodate five employees in private offices could accommodate anywhere from 15 to 25 employees in an open plan. Estimates vary, but the advantage is at least 3 to 1 and perhaps as high as 5 to 1. That open plans reduce floor space requirements is undeniable. Office designers prefer open plans because such offices 1) consume less floor space and therefore less rental cost, 2) create opportunities for collaboration and social interaction. Has this massive redeployment of office space actually saved money? Why Open Office Plans? According to the New Yorker magazine, approximately 70% of all offices now have an open floor plan rather than traditional private offices.