Are “open-concept” office plans inherently misogynistic ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a different forum on dcum, someone explained why she believes this. Agree or disagree?


“I’m a senior exec, and I used to tell my boss that open concept plans for offices were inherently misogynistic and failed to take into account how women work. “Where should women put their tampons?” was one of the things I pointed out to him. Along with “moms generally take 80% or more of the callls from doctors, school, etc — how do you not accidentally penalize them for this as these calls are more visible since they don’t have a door to close?”

Of course, we can keep a stash in a laptop bag, but in general, women’s needs are not accommodated in office planning. IBM had a whole “free the tampon” movement.”

How do you feel about this ?

Who keeps tampons in their desk at work?

That is what backpacks are for.

Using that as an argument is ajin to arguing that men need doors because they fart more often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t use misogynistic but they are inherently super inconvenient for all of the reasons stated. Also if you’re going through any sort of personal or kid-related health issue making appointments or accepting calls from doctors (that come at unexpected moments) is hard. I was in an open office where there was nowhere to go quickly for privacy. As a result we all knew personal things about each other we probably wouldn’t have wanted to share.

I agree. I found out that a co-worker had a miscarriage and another co worker was on benzos. This stuff was none of my business but could easily be heard on phone calls.

Then don't take those calls at work. FFS, some people don't care if you hear about our miscarriages and scripts

[Anonymous]

I worked in an open concept, before cell phones and before call rooms. The male-female ratio at the company was about 90:10. I remember having to talk to my obgyn under my desk and in a whisper. Mysogynist? Not sure. Inconvenient and humiliating? Yes.

[Anonymous]

My coworkers knew I was pregnant before almost anyone besides my DH and parents. It was hard to puke into the trash surreptitiously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t use misogynistic but they are inherently super inconvenient for all of the reasons stated. Also if you’re going through any sort of personal or kid-related health issue making appointments or accepting calls from doctors (that come at unexpected moments) is hard. I was in an open office where there was nowhere to go quickly for privacy. As a result we all knew personal things about each other we probably wouldn’t have wanted to share.

I agree. I found out that a co-worker had a miscarriage and another co worker was on benzos. This stuff was none of my business but could easily be heard on phone calls.

Then don't take those calls at work. FFS, some people don't care if you hear about our miscarriages and scripts

OK? When did I say that I personally take intimate calls at work. I sm talking about other people and what I would rather not know about them.

[Anonymous]

A lot of open offices these days (yes, nicer ones) have booths and flexible seating so that private calls are a non issue because they allow for conversational privacy either via enclosure, sound proofing, or remoteness.

Feminine supplies: purse or bathroom stash. Advocate for supplying them IN the bathrooms. Most workplaces are not gonna fight this.

[Anonymous]

Gone are the days where I could just close my door and fart in peace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of open offices these days (yes, nicer ones) have booths and flexible seating so that private calls are a non issue because they allow for conversational privacy either via enclosure, sound proofing, or remoteness.

Feminine supplies: purse or bathroom stash. Advocate for supplying them IN the bathrooms. Most workplaces are not gonna fight this.

Mine doesn't have any of this. I have excellent hearing and can make out any conversation within 10 feet which includes about five people. So I constantly get to hear the personal business of my co workers. I enjoy hearing all about their marriages, dating and health issues.

[Anonymous]

I'm so confused. Why aren't the tampons in your purse where they belong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The suck for everyone but I think they are worse for women.

Though I don't see them as worse because of tampons or feminine products. No matter what, as a woman you are going to have to bring feminine products to work and carry them to the bathroom. That's just life. I don's see the difference between keeping them in a desk drawer in an office versus at a desk.

But as a woman who has been pregnant and postpartum in an open concept office, it is the worst. When you are pregnant, everyone knows how often you are going to the bathroom, everyone knows if you have gas. Early in your pregnancy or during IVF treatments, you may have calls to doctors offices that you'd like to be private and it's harder to do that in an open concept office.

After childbirth, open concept offices are aggressively inconvenient for postpartum and nursing moms. Some cubicles have high enough walls that you can pump in them, but not all. And pumps make noise that might disturb others. Alternatively there can be a nursing room, but in open concept offices, these rooms tend to be harder to access because of the preference for everything to be open with sightline -- in my office it was two floors away tucked behind the rooms that held our servers.

Also, open concept sucks when you are going through any kind of medical issues, whether it's a kidney stone or pregnancy or postpartum depression (I've had all three!). Open concept means that if you randomly feel emotional during hormonal shifts during the day, people can see you crying at your desk. It means if you are in physical discomfort or pain, everyone can see it. It means if you want to call a loved one to tell them you are having a tough day, you need to find a conference room to do so or everyone can hear. It is humiliating for people going through physical challenges.

We should all opposed open concept offices but I think women have good reasons to hate them more.

Good lord, pull yourself together. Everyone farts. Older men pee often, physical pain can happen to anyone. And crying on the phone in the office? My eyes are rolling around in my head so hard they may get stuck.

Pregnancy is just not something that happens everyday day for the entirety of a woman’s career and office space shouldn’t be designed around it. Stop making people hate working with childbearing aged women, you are insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a different forum on dcum, someone explained why she believes this. Agree or disagree?


“I’m a senior exec, and I used to tell my boss that open concept plans for offices were inherently misogynistic and failed to take into account how women work. “Where should women put their tampons?” was one of the things I pointed out to him. Along with “moms generally take 80% or more of the callls from doctors, school, etc — how do you not accidentally penalize them for this as these calls are more visible since they don’t have a door to close?”

Of course, we can keep a stash in a laptop bag, but in general, women’s needs are not accommodated in office planning. IBM had a whole “free the tampon” movement.”

How do you feel about this ?

I would fire or avoid anyone, male or female, who thought like that. They would just be trouble.

[Anonymous]

Stuff like this is why Trump won.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This mentality is why we have the awful government that we have. People got tired of this nonsense.

The open concept?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My view is that women like this make it harder for women in general. When people go to extremes like this "where will we put our tampons?!?" It makes people roll their eyes and discredit any valid points someone may have.

+1
Sexist is to think we need a different environment. Men take school and doctor's calls too. If you don't defer half of these to your husband, then you are the problem.

[Anonymous]

I worked in an open concept office pre-covid, and it was widely despised by all genders. I think at this point we have bigger fish to fry than worrying about where someone can keep their tampons.