Seating Arrangements at Work - Please Share Your Experiences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, just when I was forgetting those chaotic couple years in the 70s when my school tried "open classrooms," this trend hits the workplace. My company went to it about two years ago. It's noisy and there are a lot of distractions but I've learned to just wear headphones most of the day and to not worry about farting. I just don't care.

We had that in our elem school - open classrooms. It didn't work at all and they eventually built walls.

[Anonymous]

I worked for a tech company back in the 90s that had an open plan as in no office, no cubicles. The desks were all out there in the open.

On the one hand, it being a tech company, and all my coworkers young, it was fun. But since this was before cell phones were widely used, it really really sucked when you wanted to have a private conversation, like with the ob-gyn. I also cannot tell you how many times I would be on the phone with clients while my coworkers would be 1) incredibly noisy; 2) having a loud and lewd conversation; or 3) the coworker who liked to come around and moon us all periodically!

It's a bad idea whose time has passed.

[Anonymous]

i hate the open office format. hate hate hate. i've worked in two offices with it now, and there are constant reminders to "please keep it down." um, that is really unrealistic in a place with NO DOORS.

[Anonymous]

When I was negotiating for my new job I insisted on a private office instead of a cubicle... they tried to pull the "open office is the wave of the future" bs, but 1) that's not even how their office is set up and 2) I cannot get my work done in such a situation, and I told them as much -- if the wanted me to be successful they had to give me an office and that was a make-it or break-it for me. They managed to get me an office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work for feds and in my experience the amount of time and energy people spend jockeying for the best office or even best cube is shocking. Government waste at its best/worst.

This. I had the same experience. People getting all worked up over who gets the biggest cube or the window office. Just childish, but hilarious at the same time.

Yeah. Much better to just shut up and take the inner closet office while others get actual windows and more square footage. I
Face it, it reflects your comp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, no, what is the worst - SHARED private offices

I have worked in a totally open office environment - no partitions - and I was absolutely fine with it (it's standard in my industry). Even the "partners/VP's" didn't have doors although some had 2 or 3 real walls. Energetic, didn't feel like I was working in a cave, easy to move people around for long term projects, etc.
Then i switched to a place that put me in a private office. Just me. With a real door. I almost went crazy from the lack of background noise.
Then... they moved us into shared offices. That is, a private office with two people crammed inside. That is the worst of both worlds.
It's my office, dammit, is the feeling. So my office mate eats fish at lunch, cuts his nails, talks loudly on the phone.
But you must share and be nice. So everyone who comes in to talk to ONE of us, winds up distracting us BOTH. Every damn person feels the need to ask me "Is Officemate in?" when they can SEE that he is/not. Also, I am NOT HIS SECRETARY

Can anybody share more experiences with office-sharing? I am in a glorified cube (one wall and three walls almost to the ceiling with a sliding door) and considering a position in which I would have to share a large office. I'm thinking that sharing an office would be much much worse. But everything else about the job seems amazing. Any insights would be much appreciated.