Ah, the open-plan office, that shining example of egalitarian design, the great leveler of the corporate caste system. Just one problem: there’s no privacy. Open-plan offices are distractingly noisy. Their intended purpose is to boost collaboration and productivity, but these designs have actually done quite the opposite. Research shows that open-plan workspaces damage employees’ attention spans, stress levels, short-term memory, productivity, creative thinking, and satisfaction. A 2003 Herman Miller study on privacy issues cited “overheard conversation” as workers’ biggest complaint. In fact, office chatter is such a common performance-killer that the outcome even has a name: “the irrelevant speech effect.” And yet 70% of U.S. workplaces still embrace an open-plan environment.
Muting Unwanted Noise in an Open Office
Counteract it with better sounds.
December 17, 2015
New!
HBR Learning
Time Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Time Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Make smarter, more purposeful choices about how you spend your day.
Learn More & See All Courses
New!
HBR Learning
Time Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Time Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Make smarter, more purposeful choices about how you spend your day.