Supposedly, open offices improve communication and collaboration. However, a recent study published by The Royal Society indicates that the open office may be doing the exact opposite.
According to the study, face-to-face communication takes a 70 percent dive in open offices. Instead of fostering collective energy the study found that “open architecture appeared to trigger a natural human response to withdraw from officemates and interact instead over email and IM.”
The research also found that productivity declined after eliminating spatial boundaries. Considering 70 percent of Americans work in open offices, this is an issue companies are going to have to tackle in order to recoup possible productivity losses.
See more on effects of open offices and what you can do about it here.
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