Open office controversy

The Open Plan study by Dr VG Oommen "doesn’t reflect changes in the modern workplace." This according to a press release from workplace design firm DEGW. "Open plan versus enclosed offices debate is old news," their press release says.

Oommen reviewed previous studies on the health effects of working in an open plan office, and concluded that the switch to open-plan workplaces causes incresed stress and lower productivity.

More from DEGW:

There is a distinct lack of research in the public realm on the analysis and design of workspaces and their effects on productivity, which makes it difficult to draw accurate conclusions through literature reviews.

DEGW's own literature-based research identifies that published research in the area of workplace design is almost entirely focused on easily quantifiable aspects relating to individual comfort, such as indoor air quality, light levels, noise levels, energy use and cost. While important, these aspects are only part of the impact workplace design has upon organisational effectiveness.

In contrast, little research has been published on the impact of the workspace on overall organisational performance. Despite being more influential, aspects such as the workplace's ability to enable effective communication, support knowledge sharing, foster the desired organisational culture and encourage rapid learning are much more difficult to measure.
Thus, published research to date is naturally skewed towards issues such as noise control and cost comparisons, whereas real engagement with organisations that use their workspace as a strategic tool reveals the powerful impacts workspace design can achieve.

Open-plan offices make workers sick

"Office life is bad for your health," read the headline in ScienceAlert, a website that covers the Australasian science community.

"The evidence we found was absolutely shocking," said Dr Vinesh Oommen, one of the study’s authors. Oommen and his team work at the Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation.

"In 90 per cent of research, the outcome of working in an open-plan office was seen as negative, with open-plan offices causing high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure, and a high staff turnover," Oommen said. "It has been found that the high level of noise causes employees to lose concentration, leading to low productivity, there are privacy issues because everyone can see what you are doing on the computer or hear what you are saying on the phone, and there is a feeling of insecurity."

Oommen observed that " I think employers around the country need to rethink the open-plan environment in their offices." The study appears in the latest issue of Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Management.

What's your experience with open plan offices?