4 ways open offices do more damage than you think

In 2017, open-plan offices are all the rage. But despite the many benefits they are claimed to bestow, open offices can create more problems than they solve. Here are four reasons why you should consider having a more traditional joint:

1. They make you miserable

A survey of 10,000 employees funded by office furniture big shot Steelcase revealed that 95 percent of respondents admitted that working privately was important to them, but only 41 percent got the ability to do so, and 31 percent had to leave the office to get work done.

2. They hinder productivity

A study by Exeter University found that open offices created a  32 percent drop in "workers' well-being" and a further 15 percent reduction in productivity.

Steelcase's survey also found that employees in open-plan offices lost an average of 86 minutes per day, leading to "unmotivated, unproductive, and overly stressed" workers.

3. They make you sick

Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation discovered higher levels of stress, conflict, blood pressure, and staff turnover in workplaces without offices. And according to The New Yorker, open-plan offices can expect employees to take a ginormous 62 percent more sick leave.

4. They encourage office politics

In open offices, the handful of glass door, private rooms are a status symbol. The competition to get the real office can get fierce and create bad blood and demoralisation.