If you work in an open office and the opera music your next-cube neighbor has had on a loop for a week is testing your sanity, you’re not alone. As reported by CoreNet Global, an association for commercial real estate managers, the open office format is sweeping the nation, over 81% of companies in North America operate with an open space floor plan. So with private offices going the way of fax machines, how do you thrive in an open office environment?
Harness the quiet
Even though you’re in an open office environment, there are likely times when it’s quieter in the office. After a couple of weeks in your open environment, you will start to see a pattern, and you can take measures to harness the quiet. Save your projects that require your undivided attention for these “quieter” blocks of time, and you won’t have to relegate yourself to a conference room for the entire day.
Embrace the headphones
If you have a particularly noisy neighbor that invades your space with loud music, loud talking or over-sharing, bring out a pair of headphones to wear at particularly “active” times. Wearing headphones generally tells your co-workers that you have a task that you’re working on and should not be disturbed, or your open office environment has gotten the best of you that day. Either way, you’re providing a visual cue that is not a crazy flag or stop sign on the top of your computer that would be similar to you closing your office door if you had one.
DND
If the headphones don’t cause your co-workers to pause, maybe a block of time labeled “DND” on your calendar would get them to stop interrupting you every time you’re “in the zone.” DND, do not disturb, is a block of time that you can make visible on your calendar for your co-workers that should communicate to them that you are not available. Meaning, if the office is on fire, they can come over and tell you that you need to evacuate, but short of that, you aren’t available for consultation. Many open office environments have instituted this policy in lieu of the employees posting semi-offensive or goofy signs to ask for some uninterrupted work time.
Dine by yourself
Take a break by yourself. Choose to go out to lunch solo or work from a coffee shop if your co-workers are particularly chatty this week. By removing yourself from the situation, you won’t have to complain to your boss, or have a difficult conversation with a co-worker that might not be acting out of the ordinary, rather it might be your heightened sensitivity of your own workload that’s driving your irritability. Everyone can be a little crabby from time to time, just try to identify that you’re the crabby one before you take it out on your co-workers. The last thing you want is to be known as the “crabby” co-worker in an open office environment. There’s something to be said for being left alone when you need it, it’s something else entirely different when your team starts avoiding you. . .
Escape the “Clown Car”
Alright, when you’ve tried everything else and everything else has failed, book a conference room. Use this as a last resort, especially when you have a fun, engaged culture. Not only will your team likely be worried about your stress level and want to help you, you’re also being “left out of the party.” While you’re in the conference room, keep in mind that crucial decisions that don’t require a closed door meeting are happening. This means, you run the risk of literally being the “last to know” because you’ve taken refuge in a conference room. When you feel like you can’t listen to another co-worker’s phone call, or take one more interruption, go ahead and book a conference room, but don’t get into the habit of making it a daily change of scenery.
The New York Times reported that rising real estate costs have driven the shrinking square footage of most office spaces. According to the article, between 2012 and 2010, the average allotted space per office worker shrunk by nearly 50 square feet. New data with average square footage estimates by office worker for 2016 haven’t been published, but the open office layout seems to be a trend that will be with us for the foreseeable future. Hopefully our five tips will give you the strategies you need to get the most out of your time in the office.