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Nowadays, many offices are opting for open space designs over compartmentalized floor plans. In my opinion, this is a positive change because of its social and work related benefits.
It increases communication and interaction among the peers which impacts the morale of an individual who can make friends and enjoy each other’s company through out the day. A good example of this would be offices designed by Flipkart. They intentionally created offices that allowed individuals to meet in the common areas and facilitates interactions between different divisions in the company. By meeting others on regular basis, employees adds more perspective and imagination in their work.
On the other hand, open-space design can reduce efficiency. Over the course of the day, various interruptions like phone calls and other noises can adversely effects individuals focus, private life. Recent research has shown that communication leads to decline in total work output.
In conclusion, there may be minor tradeoffs in term of productivity, it is a good change as it allows employees to be more creative, reduces cost of office by allowing more people in the open workplace.
