Pros and Cons of Open Office Plans

Pre-COVID, open office plans were trendy. In fact, they were so desirable and cutting edge that many job postings listed open-office seating as a benefit to employment. Supporters of open office plans boasted their stylish, modern aesthetic and their propensity to fuel collaboration and team building. It was clear: open office plans were the future.
 
That was, until COVID-19 changed everything about the way we do business. All of the sudden, open offices represented danger, uncleanliness, and the potential for spread. In the wake of COVID-19, is the open office plan extinct? 

Mandates to work from home if possible are in place currently and will likely continue as the pandemic eases​ 

Open Office Plans: The Pros

Pre-COVID, many professionals touted the benefits of open office seating. They include:
 

• Increased opportunity for collaboration
• Increased opportunity to collaborate with a worker outside of your department
• Diversity of ideas
• Sharing of ideas and opinions
• Opportunity to chat and build personal connections with coworkers
• Decreased feelings of isolation among employees
• Flexibility to arrange and easily re-arrange and/or add spaces to the office layout
• Cost savings on overhead and/or cubicle/office construction
• Sends a message to workers that there are no “ivory towers” or barriers within the organization

 

Open Office Plans: The Cons

There are several cons of open office layouts that do not include the added risk of COVID-19 transmission. They include:

• Increased distraction
• Decreased productivity
• Inability to focus
• Feelings of isolation may increase, in some cases
• Lack of privacy
• Inability to speak frankly with superiors due to lack of appropriate meeting space
• Overhearing too many personal or confidential business conversations
• Decreased job satisfaction related to lack of control over personal workspace
• Increased conflict
• Stress
• Increased turnover

Open Offices are Not Safe in the Post-COVID Landscape

Whether or not you loved or hated open office spaces before the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s certainly a reason to dislike them now: open office plans are not well designed to protect employees from the spread of COVID-19.

•  There are no barriers between workstations protecting employees
• Many workspaces are shared and may not be sanitized properly between uses
• The air being recirculated and shared in the space may not be properly purified, or ventilation generally speaking may be poor or problematic
• Even if universal masking is in effect, employees must remove masks to eat and drink, leading to increased risk of exposure in the workplace

Why Open Offices are Becoming Extinct

Mandates to work from home if possible are in place currently and will likely continue as the pandemic eases. Employees that are working from the safety of their home will not be willing to return to work if they do not feel that they are as safe there as there were in their homes. They’re currently working in isolation and not likely to embrace a return to a large room shared by many people with little in place in the way of protection.
 
While it may seem antiquated, a return to cubicles or separate offices with closed doors may be what’s necessary to make workers feel safe enough to return to work when the time is right.

Office Safety

Many workplaces that subscribed to open office plans are implementing safety protocols so that when employees return, they’re safe. Some ideas for reconfiguring open office space to make it safe in a post-COVID world include:

•  Reintroducing cubicles
• Using office space effectively so that as many people as possible are in offices with doors that shut
• Creating and following protocol for break rooms, including maximum occupancy rules and scheduled break times
• Placing plexiglass shields between desks
• Ensuring that proper sanitization tools are available, such as hand sanitizer and wipes for shared workstations
• Universal masking
• Providing workers with appropriate training

MidSouthWest is your Online Training Solution Provider

Did you know that your employees can still complete health and safety training while working safely from home? With our extensive catalogue, competitive pricing, and user-friendly training platform, MidSouthWest offers an effective, efficient, and cost-effective online training solution. Courses can be purchased online and accessed from smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers. See our COVID-specific Training Library
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COVID-19 Safety Training

Trust MidSouthWest Training and Consulting

We are in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world, including the way we do business. We’re all in this together, and when it comes to providing training for your workers, you don’t have to go it alone.
 
To learn more about MidSouthWest Training and Consulting’s online training and distance learning options, contact us online or call 289.309.1143. Visit us 24/7 on the web at midsouthwest.ca.

​Last updated March 26, 2021