In 2015, Eléas, a company specialised in work life quality and psycho-social risks, carried out a survey on incivility at work. The results, which were published in November 2015, call into question the increasingly wide use of open space working arrangements.

Incivility at work – a reality

According to the survey, 42% of employees are exposed to incivility and 58% of people interviewed say open space working is partly responsible.

But, before going any further, what is incivility exactly? Incivility concerns social nuisances which disregard the basic rules of living in society. More specifically, in an open space office, someone who regularly speaks very loudly and disturbs his colleagues is guilty of being uncivil towards them. In such cases, it is the repetition of this type of behaviour that can affect the most sensitive employees and even result in them experiencing a sense of self denial.

Here is another example: working in open space offices creates the impression that people are permanently available; they may be called or interrupted with no consideration for the impact this might have on them. Such behaviour can in fact be uncomfortable or even distressing for those who need peace and quiet and time to complete their work.

Open space – changed behaviour

Open space working appeared in France in the 1970s. Its main purpose was to optimise space, but it was also considered as a way of developing team relationships. All employees working together in the same space seemed to be a good solution for achieving more effective and smoother relationships. However, this theory does not seem to be confirmed in practice. Employees, who are constantly visible to others, can change their behaviour, be less spontaneous, have more stressful or more conflictual relations with one and other and so on.

One solution which is starting to take off in major corporations, such as Google and Facebook, is the idea of creating areas of temporary privacy which allow staff to be alone or in small groups when needed.

 

What do you think about open space working on a daily basis?