Morten Münster: Open-plan offices suck!
Open-plan offices and free seating are good for two things, nothing more, says behavioural expert Morten Münster. But if you want to maintain focus, there are a few things you can do.
Nobody has time to work
According to Morten Münster, the biggest problem is interruptions and disruptions.
“It ruins productivity because you're interrupted all the time,” he says and continues:
“This is a huge problem. Sure, we might be sharing a lot of knowledge, and hooray for innovation, but no one has time to do their job.”
He refers to studies that show how long it may take to regain the same cognitive level you were at after a colleague asks if you would like to go for lunch.
He also believes that it destroys job satisfaction.
“One of the things that motivates people the most is the feeling of accomplishment, that is, the feeling of coming to work and getting things done. Once you feel like you’ve worked your arse off but got nothing done because you were interrupted, in meetings and tying all sorts of loose ends, that’s when your job satisfaction will begin to fade,” explains Morten Münster.
Another point against open-plan offices, according to Morten Münster, is the higher chance of bringing your colleague's cold home with you.
So, in his opinion, not a whole lot speaks in favour of offices with workers in rows on end.
“Based on the studies alone, no one is going to recommend setting up an open-plan office, but – and this is an important but – businesses need to make money to be able to hire us,” says Morten Münster.
Can we come to an agreement?
So, if you work in an open-plan office, what can you do?
Basically, not a lot if the goal is to eliminate the interruptions from colleagues, says Morten Münster.
“It requires a decision that goes beyond oneself. That you rise above the individual level and bring it up with a manager,” he says.
He speaks approvingly of the workplaces that have introduced time for reflection.
“People get a lot more done. They become much happier. But it can only happen if we come to an agreement,” says Morten Münster.
Tackling your own interruptions
Morten Münster is an expert in behavioural design and has written several books on the subject – including the bestseller “I'm Afraid Debbie From Marketing Has Left for the Day”. But when it comes to open-plan offices in particular, the tools in the behavioural design toolbox are less applicable.
“I wouldn’t exactly say that behavioural design fails in this respect, but we might not be able to make much use of it,” he says, urging people to start with themselves instead to see how they may change their behaviour to avoid constant interruptions. Much can be done here, says the behavioural guru.
“Start with all the interruptions that are caused by your systems. There are incredibly many once you start counting: text messages, Aula notifications and whatever else is ticking in,” he says.
He suggests that we turn off notifications on our mobile and switch it to silent mode. You can also close down your inbox on your computer to stop the constant flow of new messages and limit yourself to checking your email three times a day.
“It’s more than enough. “People don't believe this, but it’s true,” he says.
Another good idea is to physically change location, he says.
You can do this by working from home, if possible, or it might even be feasible at the office to find a meeting room or another place that will give you some time alone.
“You can move away from it yourself. Go to the staff canteen; that's a good way of tackling it. Today, many places have dedicated zones or phone booths for you to sit in. Of course, that helps too. Although it's an artificial way of nudging people to move around, it's far better than this nightmare of everyone sitting cramped together,” says Morten Münster.