Some Apple Park Employees Said to Be Dissatisfied With Open Office Design

[69Mustang]

I don't, most of the time.

The whole thing is, Apple's new campus is NOT the best nor the nicest building in the world, it's also not really special to build as some here think, it's a big project, that's all.

We agreed with each other last time we discussed this topic.

And we still agree on this topic. I think you misinterpreted my post. Go back and read my post. Pay attention to the italicized hyperbole I included. I was making fun of the people who lean on best, nicest, greatest, most to try to make a point.
Read it with a snarky sarcastic eye.

 

[Flood123]

The office I work in has an open floor layout like that. Needless to say I have opted to take more work from home days since the transition.

 

[canucksfan88]

It's about time. They have been forcing stuff on consumers for so long now.

But seriously...first world problems right here!

 

[justperry]

And we still agree on this topic. I think you misinterpreted my post. Go back and read my post. Pay attention to the italicized hyperbole I included. I was making fun of the people who lean on best, nicest, greatest, most to try to make a point.
Read it with a snarky sarcastic eye.

I wasn't really sure it was/wasn't sarcasme.

Cheers

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Forcing something new on people who don't want it just because Apple thinks it's better for them even when people say they don't want it? Definitely sounds like something Apple would do unfortunately.

And later they will say it's the greatest thing ever and wonder how they ever questioned Apple.

Just like always...

 

[69Mustang]

I'm hung and I don't hear any complaints ...


*drops mic*

15 year old me giggled at this comment. 45 year old me just gave an appreciative nod while remembering what 15 year old me would do.

Deleted: Nevermind, just realized my comment was a little toooo low brow

Didn't stop D.T.

 

[drzen]

What happens when they need to cordon off a secret team working in isolation on the next great thing, à la iPhone?

 

[Carlanga]

I wonder how it will sound w all those keyboards.

 

[D.T.]

15 year old me giggled at this comment. 45 year old me just gave an appreciative nod while remembering what 15 year old me would do.


Didn't stop D.T.

My 15 year old has executive override on all responses

 

[Carlanga]

What happens when they need to cordon off a secret team working in isolation on the next great thing, à la iPhone?

cord them off to china lol... there are some separate spaces according to the article

 

[D.T.]

I wonder how it will sound w all those keyboards.

Like hundreds of rats walking around in tiny tap shoes.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

It's about time. They have been forcing stuff on consumers for so long now.

But seriously...first world problems right here!

Miserable office environment counts as "first world problems"? Why complain about anything then? Someone's always got it worse.

 

[aksmax]

I think the idea is everyone should be focused and thus no one will be interrupted. Of course this only works as a concept. Probably come up with by a dude in a private office.

I was thinking the same thing.

In my experience with several offices that have done this, the higher-ups/decision-makers still get an office.

From second hand info, it's viewed from above as a cost saving, more efficient use of space and a productivity tool that discourages time wasting. Plus it's what "cool, modern companies" are doing and what Millennials are demanding.

To me personally, it's been a negative, noisy experience that made me dislike my coworkers, resent senior leadership and push to work remotely.

 

[iReality85]

The open office I worked in was pretty much the worst case of the open offices. We were 10 people to a side. We had about a 5' "desk" with a quarter height partition wall in front of us. A single file cabinet. There were about 4' aisles between the rows.

The company I worked for did not do this as any part of collaboration or team building, or any of the other baloney you hear. They simply needed to cram 500 people into a space designed for 200. Of course they didn't take parking into account, and if you weren't at the office by 7am it was like trying to find a spot at the mall before Christmas. There were no phone booth areas where you could take a private phone call. The conference room layout was geared for the 200 person layout. You had to reserve a conference room 3 weeks in advance.

Man it sucked. It was like the day room at general population in prison. I felt like the guy in office space muttering under his breath. If the person next to me spread out their papers and they inched into my space, it was disturbing. Your 6' of space were treasured. You had zero privacy. For anything. I know, I know, "don't surf the web at work," but a lot of what I did at work contained confidential data. I could hear the conference calls from people 4 rows over. You got so used to there being no privacy you overheard incredibly personal phone calls because there wasn't anywhere else to have them. Go outside? It was winter in New England.

This sounds exactly like my nightmare vision of an open work space environment, and exactly why I have no intention of ever working in one.

 

[hoptown]

Some of you have no idea what it's like to be a programmer. If you want to simplify the argument as a matter of being spoiled, then imagine a time when you were trying to sleep, but noisy neighbors kept you awake. Imagine being in class, listening to an instructor while two people around you are having a "quiet" conversation. Imagine a co-worker, next to you crunching on ice cubes while you're trying to read something. It might be easier to deal with, if for example there were offices that housed only 2 people per. But an open floor plan is an invitation for various distractions. Some of this may be about personality types, but the job of a programmer is one that requires an atmosphere conducive to deep focus and concentration. They should be afforded that, especially considering the great work many of them have produced up to this point. Why f--- up a good thing?

By the way, some of you have given examples of your own open work spaces that you've manage to work in without complaining. There's a word to describe that: anecdotal.

 

[routine_analyst]

I think the idea is everyone should be focused and thus no one will be interrupted. Of course this only works as a concept. Probably come up with by a dude in a private office.

I don't understand this push towards open floor plan offices.

Software development and engineering are highly focused activities. You get "in the zone" and work on your problem to find a solution. You might have several things going on in your head at once that all have to be there to figure out the problem.

Having people walking by, interrupting you and otherwise hassling you when you're in "the zone" can set you back quite a bit. At least for software developers and engineers, open floor plans are a horrible idea. At the very least have cube walls that come up high enough to give you a more quiet space.

I personally have an "office" with walls that don't go up to the ceiling, such that I can hear things going on outside even though when the door is shut, no one can see me. And even with that, stuff going on outside my office can distract me and throw off my train of thought. It must be horrible for workers in true open plan offices.

Saving money. And... that's what you get when you have a overly powerful people specializing in "People"

 

[WestonHarvey1]

wow those who are chiming in that the apple employees are being brats need to stop playing arm chair quarter back.

OR perhaps have a real job?

It is distracting to not have partition walls of any sort.

I went from an office to partition and it was hard for me.

You hear other conversations and people talk to you more which not always is a good thing!

I worked in offices in the 90s where "open plan" typically meant "low walled cubes". When I started hearing about developers complaining about "open plan" offices, I thought they were whining about not having corner offices with a window. I had absolutely no idea people were being made to work sitting at picnic tables.

That's outrageous and I don't know how anyone tolerates it. It's almost enough to make me support unionizing IT workers. I'm glad to hear employees are being brave enough to push back.

 

[yakapo]

I was a regional manager for a company that used this sort of open office. I started working from home. I'd be trying to work and the executive staff would come by talking sports for an hour. How do you make a phone call in that environment.

 

[Thunderbird]

I just heard that after all the complaining about the open office design, they're now installing suicide nets.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Man, I'd work there. I'll build you what you want. You can put me in a room with a digger, a guy on a drill and someone else machining metal loudly. Will be a total of zero difference to me.

It's a very simple act to shove ones AirPods into my ear holes and crank the volume like I do everyday in my current open plan studio to block out the hooting and hollering.

This proves the point, doesn't it? Everyone uses headphones as a way to get their private space back. The supposed benefits of "collaboration" completely disappear, because there isn't any.

 

[iReality85]

In my experience with several offices that have done this, the higher-ups/decision-makers still get an office.

From second hand info, it's viewed from above as a cost saving, more efficient use of space and a productivity tool that discourages time wasting. Plus it's what "cool, modern companies" are doing and what Millennials are demanding.

My fellow Millennials are weird.

 

[aksmax]

Only thing worse is the 'hot desking' idea.........

Holy **** who thought that would work?! I never heard of it until you mentioned it and then I read about it. Talk about feeling like a disposable person.

We called it "hoteling". Really driven by lots of part time 'work from home' arrangements and too much empty space. Not horrible but you always felt like a visitor.

 

[MvdM]

One nifty idea would be to have cube walls you can raise and lower as needed.

The need for privacy isn't a constant one. Sometimes you're concentrating on a software dev issue, other times you're designing something with your coworkers. It varies.

Let's call them Magic Walls. Activatated by a swipe of your hand.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

We called it "hoteling". Really driven by lots of part time 'work from home' arrangements and too much empty space. Not horrible but you always felt like a visitor.

At my last telecommute job we had this arrangement - an office with a lot of empty rooms. It worked out well. If you felt like not being in the house, or your internet was out, or you really needed some intensive face time with 1 or 2 other employees, you could just go in and grab one of those rooms.

 

[steve333]

That building is really creepy, looks so uncomfortable and uninviting