"Open offices are, and have always been about, control. Not about productivity, but exclusively about control"
No, it was not about 'control' it was just about money.
Your comment is cynical enough that I think you might maybe have a problem.
Your Ops and Accounting people can present Plan A - open, and Plan B - cubicles ... Plan A is always cheaper and the benefits of Plan B are hard to justify.
Now 'others are doing it' ... so it's Plan A.
It's cost, it's that simple.
"Nobody feels that they work their best when someone is watching them."
This is usually not a problem - after 10 minutes, you're working, everyone else is and nobody cares.
"Everyone knows that part of working in an open office is figuring out how to create the illusion that you are working."
If you think this then maybe you're in real trouble!
Yes, it does suck that you 'can't check Facebook' as often, fine, but why would you need to 'create the illusion that you are working ... at work'?
If you need to 'create the illusion that you are working' literally when you are supposed to be working ... then ... this is not good!
"Please let's stop pretending that we don't all understand exactly what open offices are about."
You're mostly on your own here.
I much prefer offices and cubicles, it's much quieter, less distracting, and yes, I feel slightly more comfortable checking Facebook once in a blue moon but that's not really important.
No, it was not about 'control' it was just about money.
Your comment is cynical enough that I think you might maybe have a problem.
Your Ops and Accounting people can present Plan A - open, and Plan B - cubicles ... Plan A is always cheaper and the benefits of Plan B are hard to justify.
Now 'others are doing it' ... so it's Plan A.
It's cost, it's that simple.
"Nobody feels that they work their best when someone is watching them."
This is usually not a problem - after 10 minutes, you're working, everyone else is and nobody cares.
"Everyone knows that part of working in an open office is figuring out how to create the illusion that you are working."
If you think this then maybe you're in real trouble!
Yes, it does suck that you 'can't check Facebook' as often, fine, but why would you need to 'create the illusion that you are working ... at work'?
If you need to 'create the illusion that you are working' literally when you are supposed to be working ... then ... this is not good!
"Please let's stop pretending that we don't all understand exactly what open offices are about."
You're mostly on your own here.
I much prefer offices and cubicles, it's much quieter, less distracting, and yes, I feel slightly more comfortable checking Facebook once in a blue moon but that's not really important.