STRUCK BY: Oh So Quiet

Published 7 months ago • 1 min read

In-person collaboration and creativity: the magic words behind so many hybrid and in-office work schedules. And as someone who works largely one-on-one, I’ll admit it sounds nice - until I remember that my office door closes.

Most offices these days are open plan. Very industrial chic, very noisy, and no privacy to speak of. Historically, there have been few spaces for gathering in offices - other than conference rooms for meetings. Not really spaces brimming with creativity. Many companies are (somewhat desperately) trying to make the open office better designed for collaboration with gathering spaces or “social zones” built into the floor plan.

But while at work, people still need to work. Getting work done requires focus, and for most that means some kind of quiet-ish time free of distractions and interruptions. That’s hard to come by in most office environments. We expect both collaboration and focus from folks working in the office, and provide a space for neither. Seems like a little compromise could make the in-office experience much better.

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