And while many offices have begun to look more custom than mass-produced, not all workplace trends improve your performance. From co-working spaces to collaboration, the “best” environment is hotly contested.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Why we’re working all wrong
And while many offices have begun to look more custom than mass-produced, not all workplace trends improve your performance. From co-working spaces to collaboration, the “best” environment is hotly contested.
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The thing I like most about this article is even if it doesn't explicitly state it, it acknowledges that people have different styles of working. When they talked about how the previous idea of open offices is actually a myth, I felt relived. I understand the perks of collaborating on projects and work, but like the article said, some people do not work as well in that environment. I am one of those people. I get so much more work done if I just sit down in a corner somewhere and just spend several hours on a project. Unless I'm required to work in a group, I tend to keep my work to myself and finish it on my own. The suggestion to have several small corners and areas in which people can work, but also leaving open conference room for those who find it easier to collaborate is a very good idea. That is kind of how Purnell is set up. There are tables for open collaboration but there are also sets of two or so chairs in little nooks around the school where people who enjoy to work alone can sit and work. It has been a rather effective system, at least for me and the way I work.
The points in this article about open offices and nonstop collaboration really helped me realize why my productivity varies whenever I'm in 33 trying to do work. Since there are so many of us crammed in, whenever there are more than 10 people in there the room gets very crowded and loud very quickly because the studio is essentially a very open office. While this does allow for collaboration when needed, it also just creates a lot of noise, especially when America's Next Top Model comes out, and my productivity definitely takes a hit on nights like that. Coming from a familiar home environment where I knew all of the private spaces to escape to if I needed to do work, it has definitely been a challenge adjusting to this general college state of being surrounded by people all the time. Purnell definitely has a wide variety of workspaces around the building, but I often find it easier to leave Purnell and go to a completely new setting if I really can't focus, though that's not always possible in a conventional office setting.
The myths that we create based on social constructs are fascinating, and the modern idea of the workplace is no different. The article covers breaking down a lot of different factors leading to productivity gains or losses, as it were. Our personal open office we call 33 is a vortex, sucking up time at rates rivaling that of a breaking bad binge or doing our laundry. The thought that we need personal nooks is a good one, however, in some places, that's not an option. At college, the closest we have is the library or our dorms, both of which have tendencies to not be all that quiet. The article also explains that there is a time and place for collaboration, which I completely agree with. Having collaboration nonstop devalues the individual, and once a clear leader emerges, stifles the voices in the crowd so that everyone is working towards one goal instead of everyone fulfilling personal milestones. The other myths aren't as cut and dry as far as personal application go, but the thought that real work is done in the office is one that certainly doesn't apply to us, as are offices will be theatres of varying sizes. Or home.
I completely agree that more offices should allow people to be able, with in reason, to work in a way that they will be most productive. While I have never worked in an office environment and there are clearly two sides to the aspects of office design, there must be a better way than rows of cubicles. I fear many office spaces either don’t have the money, or don't want to spend it on updating their spaces, especially for their mid and lower level employees. I know not all offices are like this, but the majority still seem to be structured like Office Space. Treating your employees like human beings will always get you a better result, giving them spaces that are conducive to different working styles just seems logical. I do understand why bosses wouldn’t want their employees to work at home and it seems like something that people could take advantage of, but if you have motivated employees it seem as it would cut down on the amount of days people would take off. It is also great that this article acknowledges freelance employees.
This article has some good points in it. Those of us who work in theater (especially in college or grad school) know that 9-5 jobs are not always the case and that we can get more done at various points during the day. Just because our production work takes place at night doesn’t mean it is any more or less productive than working during normal business hours. What this does mean, however, is that getting certain materials or contacting vendors is difficult because they do not have the same operating hours as we have. Personally, I think that working from home instead of from an office can be less productive than working from an office. There are often more distractions than in an office environment. Offices offer privacy, and going to an office means more interaction with coworkers. All of this is product and industry specific. Some solutions that work for computer programming may not work for automotive engineering. I don’t think there is a perfect solution.
This summer at Steppenwolf, they had just recently moved to an open office setup, which I didn’t like because it felt weird walking past everyone in the near silence of the space. Sure, you could get up and talk to whomever you wanted to to collaborate, but everyone was so worried about being too disruptive to everyone else that it was super quiet. I don’t know how the Administrative interns handled being in that environment. In terms of offices in general, I have to say the small nooks where you can get away would be really nice. Also, working from home or having a part-time job is really important to many people, especially those with kids or those who need the time and space to store up their strength. I especially like Picasso’s quote “without great solitude, no serious work is possible” . I know that I think the best when I have time to be alone and reflect quietly on my problems. When you try to think out loud in a group , your voice can get lost or you can get so focused on trying to outdo others with ideas that you are not helping.
In high school, I always did my work by myself, in my bedroom, with the door closed. I found it usually difficult to get things done in study halls and classroom work time. But since coming to CMU and having to do most of my work in 33 with 28 other people I've discovered that whether or not I can be productive in an open office, very collaborative space completely depends on the work I'm doing. I need to be alone for more mental work, such as writing a paper or coming up with an initial idea for a design.So I do that kind of work in my dorm room. My room is my version of a personal nook, which I think are absolutely necessary. But for more physical, creative work, like the creation of my shoe project, I found I was able to be much more productive when I was around other people also doing creative work. I also found that isolating myself while working so much in high school may have been the reason I had issues with stress management because, despite the fact that the work load is heavier than it was in high school, I have yet to have any stress issues at college. I think it is very helpful for me to have other people around to talk to and who can make me laugh while I'm working because it keeps me from getting too immersed in my work and than getting overwhelmed by it. And yes, there are times when having so many people in one space working can be distracting, but for me personally a little distraction isn't a bad thing.
I agree with this article whole heartedly. A work space should try to give workers all the tools they need. For some that could mean a wide open space full of busy people that promote motivation, but for most it means a quiet space they can buckle down in. Purnell at different times can give you the best of both worlds, where the study has all action and liveliness of creative individuals, which leads to a lot of distractions, but there are also little nooks where you can find in different buildings just to breathe on your own and really consider what it is you want to put on. I personally love to spread out, just have all of my materials in front of me so that it can just be grabbed, but neither my dorm room nor 33 offer that luxury. But I mean honestly I’m assuming with the field we have to make productivity happen on our own, even if that means doing so on a laptop while flying somewhere. And while I won’t say its been enjoyable, CMU really is teaching me to work whenever possible!!
I would totally say that productivity is a true art form. When you do it right the benefits are more than beautiful that a just so sweet. As sweet as the sweetest dessert and then add some more chocolate to that (because who doesn’t love chocolate?)! One of things that really annoys me is other people are not efficient with their work ethic. Everyone has their own system that works for them, but there is a big difference between being productive and procrastinating into productivity. As I have said in many comments on this blog, and will continue to say in many more comments, everyone needs to find a system that works best for them. Just because something works for you does not give you permission to trash on someone else because they do things differently. All in all, keep and open mind and do not be afraid to try new things.
I think that the heart of what this article is trying to say is “everything in moderation”. No one method of productivity will work because no two workers are alike. You will have a group that will work best in an open setting, and you will have others that work best in a more private setting. You will have people who work better during the day, and others who work better at night. This list of contrasts could go one forever and because of that, as a manager, you should never dismiss a method of productivity. On top of that, different workspaces and different times work for different projects and meetings.
I do find it interesting that this article basically dismisses everything that has been said to aid in increasing productivity for the last five years, and it is one of few of its kind. More people believe that open floors and everyone working at the same time is better for productivity, and this has been a growing trend for some time. Why this author? And why now?
I think this article is so interesting in that it explores the thoughtfulness that goes into every action. The article points out the working hours of each day, but I think going to school and really discovering the thought and effort that want effort to her relationship. Productivity is something that, when done correctly, is so comforting. Progress and the knowledge that somethIng has been accomplished are among the most popular friendship, especially in freshmen. Time management and proper use of time is especially important in the use of its resources for the Sigep and other greater accompanish area
I appreciated that this article commented on the hypocrisy of countless website articles and self- help books citing “the way” to be productive, when work and productivity is something that is so reliant on individual people and what is applicable to their lives. I think in particular, the idea of constant collaboration and open working environments is so overstated and, at least in my case, usually not true. Being a freshman in the DP program, it’s been interesting to transfer from doing most of my artistic projects alone in my room to doing them in a large, chaotic, messy room with 28 other people doing the exact same project. In my opinion, there definitely is a time and a place for the sharing of ideas and social aspect of art making, and for the most part, I really do appreciate the ability to see what other people are working on, get help on what you’re doing, and more easily communicate with others you’re working on a project with. However, whenever I really need to focus and buckle down and get something more meticulous or precise finished, I need to plug in my earbuds and play music loud enough to not hear what everyone else is discussing. As humans, we are social creatures who crave human interaction, and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t brighten my day to see my friends in class every morning when we walk in, and ask about how their projects are doing. It’s nice to have other people to relate to in how you’re succeeding and/ or struggling. However, I think it’s important to know and understand your own personal boundaries, because not everyone is able to be productive in a loud, confined space. Especially being in such a tightly- knit college program, I’ve found a new respect for being able to work independently as well as in tandem with those around me.
I really identified with this article. This summer, I was working in a big open office space in a New York marketing firm, and it was one of the hardest times I have had focusing in my life. Not only is there a lot of buzz going on around the office making it difficult to concentrate, but when I have people walking behind my computer all day I feel a lot of pressure to look extremely productive on my screen, which really does NOT help, but just makes me extremely self-conscious and hurts my productivity further. I also can personally not handle sitting in an office for 40 hours a week, but my boss was very understanding of that and helped me out considerably. There was a really beautiful roof deck on the office building that she would allow me to go on with a list of things to do and that really helped me to focus a lot. Being outside and away from the (cold) office gave me a much nicer place to think and to crank out work. There was, of course, the buzz of the city below me, but that was better than all of the other office workers talking. She also let me work from home as often as I wanted. All of my work was on my computer so she could just say "Here's what I need you to do today:" and I'd be able to do it from my bed, or the couch, or a coffee shop, all of which were preferable to the office for me.
I definitely resonate a lot with this article. Although I haven't worked in an office setting yet, I do feel the downsides of an open workspace in 33. A lot of times I find myself trying to focus and get work done with my headphones on but I can still hear the loud distractions despite the fact that my music is already really loud. This can be frustrating and definitely influences my productivity. Unlike other academic work, I can't just bring my drafting desk and projects to the library. However, I admit that theatre is a collaborative art by nature and I do have to learn both how to work with others and to able to think individually while I'm surrounded by others; learning how to focus and getting work done anywhere would be helpful in the future. I also definitely agree that working from home can be beneficial - I think having a happy mood is extremely important in working effectively, I've worked on a project or two in my dorm and they were definitely less stressful.
I steal hearing protection from the shop if I have to read anything at all in Stu-Tech. Full stop. I cannot read in there and retain any information at all if I can hear the cool, productive conversations people are having about their shows.
This article has a lot of good points, but it's lacking articulation of a unifying thesis which, I think, is as follows: how one does their work should be informed by the work one has to do, not the other way around. As managers, we tend to start with an "if you build it, they will come" mentality for the people we manage. If we set up the system, people will follow it and be more productive. If we use open offices, people will collaborate more. While this line of thinking makes sense for people who are attracted to problem-solving, it falls apart when you try to apply it to the personal systems other people use to get work done.
When looking at any sort of structural change, either hiring a new person, changing around an office, or instituting a more flexible work-from-home policy, I think that it is critical to start by defining the tasks that need to be accomplished, the goals of those tasks, and the problems to be solved that are inhibiting achievement. When you look at it from that perspective, it suddenly becomes less important that everyone is adopting the cool new open-office model, or the person who does primarily independent, results-driven work is more productive sitting on her bedroom floor with her papers spread out around her than she does at a desk. By changing the narrative to task, rather than people, management, you measure success based on more objective standards rather than "How many hours are you working?", which in turn, decreases employee burn-out, because they feel empowered to get the job done the best way they can.
I am a spreader-outer of things. If I have a thing to plan or a job to do, I most often work on my bed or on my floor, and I literally create a "Circle of Power" with all of the relevant materials spread out in a circle around me. In order to do so I need a dedicated space that I don't have to keep perfectly tidy, and either a reasonably open piece of floor or a couple of desk-like surfaces and a rolling chair. This drove my boss this summer minorly insane, because I look a little bit like an insane person while I work, but linear problem solving just isn't as productive for me because I'll forget a lot of what I'm thinking. It also drives my boyfriend crazy when I'm folding laundry, because I need literally the entire living room floor to make sure things are sorted correctly. Don't ask about when I host Thanksgiving dinner...
I agree with the point that this article makes about open offices. In a space with that many people working at once you're going to find distractions in everything. Before I came to CMU I found it extremely difficult to focus in an environment with any background, which made working in 33 almost impossible. Not all of the distractions in 33 are a bad thing, as sometimes people just talking about the work they're doing takes my attention away from what I'm doing. Working in a studio-style space is something that's unavoidable for our major, so gradually I've learned to adapt to it. In a perfect world everyone would have their own drafting desks in their dorm rooms and I'd finish my assignments in half the time. Realistically you just have to acknowledge the distraction and then buckle down and get your work done. I've also seen some people who thrive in the open office space, and seem to work at a lightning pace. This just goes to show the difference in people's work styles, and it's important to acknowledge this when designing any work space.
I completely agree with this article on the subject of open spaces--they are distracting above all else! Working in my own space for my entire life made the transition to CMU much more difficult, as distractions are abound and the challenge is learning how to either avoid them or tune them out. I often find that a "group mentality" can often develop subconsciously in open work spaces, where if the majority of workers are unproductive, the remaining few will eventually follow suit. It is so important to use the time that you are given efficiently, and no matter how great the urge is to slack off for hours on end, regret will only follow suit when you have a massive project and a long night ahead of you. Yet everyone is different, and we all have a method of working which suits our needs. College is all about learning, but not all of the learning occurs by taking notes. Sometimes the mere act of studying and working can be a learning experience!
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