"Over the last six years we’ve gone from open plan, to all closed offices and then to a combination of both." - Profitable and proud: Campaign Monitor - (37signals)
Over the last six years we’ve gone from open plan, to all closed offices and then to a combination of both. I’ve paid close attention to the pros and cons of each layout, and I’m convinced that closed offices are the best layout for a software company.
The reason for this is fairly simple. It’s all about removing distractions. Jobs like software development, design and copywriting often require juggling lots of different things in your head at once. Getting to this point doesn’t happen immediately either, it might take 15 minutes to really get your head around a problem. That’s when the good stuff starts flowing and can make all the difference.
While open plan might make communication easier, it makes distractions just as easy. The trade off isn’t worth it. Closed offices let you shut your door and get focused. Unless you’re sure your question is more important than what someone is working on (it rarely is), don’t interrupt them. Come back later or better yet, send an email instead. I think in many cases closed offices make communication better. Instead of interrupting someone to ask a question, you have to write it down. That takes more effort. It forces you to edit out the crappy stuff and focus on what’s important.
Closed offices doesn’t mean anti-social either. I can’t understate how valuable it is that we all eat lunch together every day and get out of the office regularly. It provides a nice balance to the closed offices, and it’s amazing how much more open and relaxing a conversation can be over a meal rather than a workstation.
The corridor outside some closed offices.
Yep.
