An open office is an open-plan work environment where there are no enclosed office rooms or walled cubicles for employees. Usually, employees work in the same room, often beside each other, while seated along a huge desk or on work stations positioned close together. If a company wants a collaborative, social, and energetic environment, an open office will help it achieve it. Open offices are believed to encourage better communication and teamwork.
The disadvantage of this type of open office is the noise which can prevent employees from working productively. If you have employees working on tasks that require concentration and quiet space, noise from an open office can be a huge roadblock to their productivity. To make matters worse, employees also tend to have different thresholds for noise and concentration. Open offices sometimes lead people to talk less because they feel that their secrets would easily be exposed to other employees.
Unlike open offices, closed offices can help minimize distraction allowing employees to work better and produce quality results. Having walls surrounding employees while they work prevents distractions and provides an increased sense of security; the fear of being watched while you work is no longer relevant. In contrast, a completely open office space without any barriers can inhibit productivity. Studies have found that open work environments, with few screens between employees, can lead to increased employee interruption, reduced levels of concentration and lower levels of motivation. In closed offices, however, it's hard to supervise all employees in a closed office environment compared to the open-plan layout. Because your employees are in their own private offices or cubicles, it can be difficult to understand what everyone is doing.
A study found that employees working out of cubicles had "the highest rates of unhappiness with their work set-up." Open office spaces, on the other hand, tend to be more disposed to spontaneous brainstorming sessions and informal group conversation. Then, completely open workspace environments can be noisy, yet foster collaboration. Closed-off workspaces fall short on cost-effectiveness but encourage performance.
"Because your employees are in their own private offices or cubicles, it can be difficult to understand what everyone is doing."
The word cubicles is closest in meaning to