We thought about this, and while we acknowledge the company's interest in shaping culture, we felt that the company doesn't have a right to dictate one mode of working when dealing with experienced professionals. When renovating our office, we came up with the following modes and solutions to give people choices:
1. Working efficiently in a library mode: A silent room, for people who want to work in quiet with no distractions. No talking, no phones, if you need to talk to someone in the library you need to IM or email them. Good monitors and mice / keyboards.
2. Working in a ‘normal’ mode: Standard open floor plan, good monitors/mice/keyboards, you can take a call if you want to or talk to someone next to you.
3. Teamwork mode: Tables in the open space with nothing on them, for teams working together or semi-independently. Usually a whiteboard nearby.
4. Small and/or impromptu meetings not requiring privacy: We have quite some semi-closed booths which are un-reservable. Very nice if you want to work on something intensely with 1-4 people.
5. Private phone calls or small meetings requiring privacy: fully closed booths which can seat 1-4 people.
6. Presentations, large meetings, meetings with externals, or meetings requiring a formal setting, or lockdown mode: bookable conference rooms.
7. Total autonomy: Work from home or somewhere else.
The results is that (surprise!) most people choose to work in the open-plan mode, not the silent mode. If a particular employee is not working most efficiently in the mode he chooses or not, I can't really tell you...
1. Working efficiently in a library mode: A silent room, for people who want to work in quiet with no distractions. No talking, no phones, if you need to talk to someone in the library you need to IM or email them. Good monitors and mice / keyboards.
2. Working in a ‘normal’ mode: Standard open floor plan, good monitors/mice/keyboards, you can take a call if you want to or talk to someone next to you.
3. Teamwork mode: Tables in the open space with nothing on them, for teams working together or semi-independently. Usually a whiteboard nearby.
4. Small and/or impromptu meetings not requiring privacy: We have quite some semi-closed booths which are un-reservable. Very nice if you want to work on something intensely with 1-4 people.
5. Private phone calls or small meetings requiring privacy: fully closed booths which can seat 1-4 people.
6. Presentations, large meetings, meetings with externals, or meetings requiring a formal setting, or lockdown mode: bookable conference rooms.
7. Total autonomy: Work from home or somewhere else.
The results is that (surprise!) most people choose to work in the open-plan mode, not the silent mode. If a particular employee is not working most efficiently in the mode he chooses or not, I can't really tell you...