in #CASE you missed it… Open Work Space: Younger Workers Say "Yay!" Boomers Say "Nay"
These days it isn’t uncommon for companies to have open offices, which is supposed to encourage a collaborative working environment, but more often than not just annoys co-workers. But it turns out, not everyone is dead set against these open workspaces.
A new poll finds that 55% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials actually say they would like to have an open office, although that number goes down to 38% for Baby Boomers.
One of the biggest downsides of such offices is, obviously, distractions, with 99% of people saying they get distracted at their workspace. Turns out, 51% of people say such distractions makes it hard to listen or be heard on phone calls, and 48% say it affects their ability to focus. Not surprisingly, 76% say their co-workers talking too loudly on the phone is the biggest distraction they deal with, with 65% saying it’s their co-worker talking nearby.
So why would anyone want to work in an open workspace? Well, 52% of Millennials actually believe they are more productive when they are around noise or talking with others. Of course, older folks don’t exactly agree, with 60% of Baby Boomers saying they are more productive when it’s quiet.
Do you work in a company with open offices? Do you think they are too distracting at work? Or do you like them?
What is your biggest distraction at work?