Why!?! Why are they still constructing the open office layout in Jax?! How do folks at other sites feel about this reserved seating in an open floor plan? This just seems crazy after what we dealt with the past 2 years. Are people not concerned about this close seating/open floor where we have a new seat near random people daily? I’m so confused as to how and why this is still happening.
Open-plan offices don’t just ki-l productivity and privacy. They also are linked to low job satisfaction, commitment to one’s job, and employee retention. An open-plan office has also been found to increase employee’s feelings of dehumanization. This feeling of dehumanization was tied to feelings of losing individuality, abandonment by the employer, and having to work in a forced environment.
There is evidence that if employees are stressed out and experiencing higher levels of anxiety and depression, open-plan offices create even more distractions than usual. Consider that many employees will be returning to work after the most difficult time of their lives. There is already evidence that people of all age groups are experiencing depression, anxiety, and sui-idal thoughts at a higher rate than before the pandemic The age group whose mental health has been most affected by the pandemic? Millennials. Why place employees in a work environment that exacerbates stress levels?