Re: I'd have to disagree...
I've been WFH since last March, when I decided taking the commuter rail in every day was too risky (I'm over 65). I'm not in any hurry to get back to my open-plan office, where every footstep, keyclick, or printer activation is audible and distracting, because the company decided to go for "edgier" painted concrete floors and dining hall style long desks. Why, yes, I am an introvert...
My mental health is better at home, my productivity is better and though I miss my coworkers, what I save in travel overhead and distractions benefits my employer. Even better, my work area is designed by me to be comfortable and quiet. It's a partitioned off area of the basement, with carpet, acoustic ceiling and LED lighting..and, of course, fully wired networking and power.
The whole "open plan increases employee collaboration" myth is just that. It *does* dramatically lower square footage per employee, which directly benefits the bottom line, as does "hot desking", another trend that my company has picked up since COVID started. When I started working in 1978, I had a 10x10 cube with carpeted floor and acoustic ceiling panels. How things have changed!
Biting the hand that feeds IT
