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

[Juicy Box]

My office experienced this same thing.

After a move to brand new buildings, the employees went from relatively small offices with large partitioned cubicles, to very, very large office with no partitions.

It was really distracting, and loud, without the partitions. After a few years, management decided to add partitions for privacy, and to reduce distractions.

I think the open office collaboration idea is thought up from people that would never actually utilize it. In practice, they suck (imo).

 

[I7guy]

Open and collaborative is the new norm companies are embracing, Apple isn't unique here. While there are some good points to be had with this design, there are also major issues, such as privacy that's gets thrown into the wayside.

 

[Juicy Box]

Probably come up with by a dude in a private office.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Lesser Evets]

You have two problems in open-space configurations: everyone gets into everyone else's business, and there is no privacy that aids productivity.

On the downside, sometimes offices can become little kingdoms that need to be smashed open by management and walls broken down, if communication among team efforts are stifled by the setup.

Ultimately, everywhere I worked with open layouts ends up becoming a chatty party zone where productivity is halved and nonsense is constant.

 

[oldschool77]

I agree that it's a matter of preference and personality, but it's not as simple as employees complaining just for the sake of complaining. Open office environments are terribly unproductive for many creative professionals, especially if you work with audio, video or creative writing.

 

[peterh988]

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

 

[daijholt]

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.

I think the "open space" idea is a result of studies in recent years that found places like coffee shops, with moderate levels of noise are the most productive for getting work done. Basically, the idea is that there's "just enough noise", not too little, not too much.

You are right though, it can have the opposite effect, especially to those not used to that setup. Everyone works in different ways, no one size fits all approach is ever going to work for everyone.

 

[5105973]

I've always worked in environments like that, except for one place I worked. My husband and all of the executives with him always worked like that. The CEO was right there in the middle of everyone and the company ran smoothly. Our kids always work in environments like that. Kids don't do their projects in cubicles, they work in an open environment. So it's not a strange new alien concept. But it is definitely not for everyone and will be a huge adjustment for adults used to working with some privacy. And it will be a big disadvantage during cold and flu season.

It's really a pain in the tail when people need to be on a phone call. It looks like it could get really noisy in there with all of those hard surfaces bouncing sounds--unless some of those smooth surfaces are acoustic panels. People will likely need to step out to make calls.

 

[lkrupp]

Perfect troll fodder. Apple is Doomed™. Thanks Mac Rumors. Can't wait for the followup clickbait articles about valued Apple employees leaving in droves to work in stuffy, smelly cubicle based offices instead.

 

[velocityg4]

Basically anyone who is an introvert will hate an open floor plan. Anyone who can't handle distractions while working will have a lot of problems. I know I wouldn't last. Having someone talk to me completely destroys my concentration. It takes too long to refocus.

 

[Jsameds]

There's always a certain amount of people who act like spoiled brats every time there's change. Suck it up. I've been at my company (a hospital) for 20 years and they've crammed us into all sorts of environments. I sat in the basement by the morgue, with no windows, for a few years so excuse me if I don't have sympathy for people moving into the nicest building on the planet.

I've worked in buildings where the temperature drops to below freezing in winter and is like a furnace in summer. I've worked in tiny rooms with four laser printers printing all day (literally) with no ventilation, and I've worked in a breeze block room 50m long with one tiny window at one end, and I wasn't even facing it. My luck has taken an upturn recently and we're now in a really nice open office environment in a newly built building.

Even so, I'd still give my left nut to work at Apple Park. People will moan because they don't like change. It must be such a terrible working environment for those poor employees at Apple's Head Office. Poor, poor people, working in - as you say - the nicest building on the planet. It must be so horrible for them.

 

[ghostface147]

Makes sense. There are some people that work better in those confined spaces and prefer quietness. Open areas are generally loud and lack privacy. Also, considering how private Apple is and paranoid about certain projects...........it makes me wonder how many of them are really upset about the open work areas. I doubt the iPhone 8/8s teams are in open area areas.

 

[69Mustang]

As an employee at a company with an open office floorplan like this, I can confirm that it really does bug the heck out of some people. Other people really like it. The rest of us are just really easily distracted. I suspect Apple's employees will find a similar spread of reactions.

My company renovated to an open floor plan with pentagonal "pods" scattered around an open space. It was cheaper than finding the new office space needed due to growth. It looks damn good. Really, really good. When people visit our offices it's typically the first thing they mention. The designer who sold the company on the idea used all of the current marketing group think about increased collaborative efforts, higher level communication, magnified creativity through group synergy, etc. Uh, nope. It was just loud. Loud enough for us to have to go to Cambridge Sound for their white noise solutions. My team deals with it, but they don't like it. They use my office to close deals since I'm only there 1-2 days a week. We should have found new office space.

 

[TechZeke]

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.

Companies think we all want to be in some buzzfeed bull-mess. I can't imagine most engineering firms going for this non-sense, thank goodness.

 

[Sylvan]

Hopefully each desk comes with a set of noise-canceling headphones and a red light to signal "don't bug me, I'm working!"

 

[stevet]

I am sure Apple has some sort of plan or mechanism to change or reallocate space as they see fit for secluded team areas or individual offices. Maybe they are waiting for team and staff to fill in to see what is needed and what functions better for certain departments.

So you think they went and designed the open spaces, wait until they move everyone over there, and then decide how they are going to manage it?

This is a clear case of Jony Ive's employing his 'design tastes' where he has no experience. Form over function, makes for a nice photo but not a very productive environment.

 

[jonnysods]

Man I don't blame these guys. I love music, and I like people, but I can't have them around when I'm trying to concentrate, write, code, compose emails. I can't block it out like my wife does when she reads books in the living room surrounded by our busy kids!

Bose QC35's for all apple employees!

 

[yanki01]

can't even poke their noses in peace. yikes.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I think the "open space" idea is a result of studies in recent years that found places like coffee shops, with moderate levels of noise are the most productive for getting work done. Basically, the idea is that there's "just enough noise", not too little, not too much.

You are right though, it can have the opposite effect, especially to those not used to that setup. Everyone works in different ways, no one size fits all approach is ever going to work for everyone.

In my experience, I can argue for the "coffee shop" productivity boost... and against it.

FOR is mostly driven by the change of environment- a kind of regular office "cabin fever" effect. Change of scenery can spur on some fresh thinking and may lead to a productivity spike in the moment.

AGAINST: ...and then the hot girl walks in

or, more seriously,

AGAINST: ...but make my office permanently there at that spot at the coffee shop and then I'm just putting up with the noise and distractions ("hello hot girl, this seat next to me is NOT taken. Let's chat for the next hour or two instead of working"). I would still get cabin fever but now it's just this coffee shop cabin.

I run my own business- lots of work on computers. Most of it is done in a fixed office location. However, I have the flexibility to switch to a laptop and go anywhere else. Occasionally, I'm feeling like I'm in a rut in the office, so I change the setting: bookstore, beach, park, library, restaurant, flight, cruise, coffee shop and it often does yield a short-term boost. BUT, I definitely would not want to live (er work) at any of those places permanently... nor even try to do everything on a mobile computing device permanently.

So I don't know about the coffee shop study findings. If it was the case that productivity was consistently best in such a setting, just about everyone would soon find themselves working in a coffee shop setting. If there's more money to be made, WHATEVER yields that "more money" is quickly adopted.

 

[wsbsteven]

We also changed to a mostly open work area during our remodel a year ago and nobody likes it. We're a small company and there are many loud talkers that are on the phone all the time. I'm glad I was given a small hole in the wall to nest in. During discussions before the remodel everybody wanted quiet areas to work and the owner wanted the open floor plan. The owner couldn't understand why people wouldn't want to be part of big open conversation.

After that he retired to his office away from everybody else so he could work.

 

[justperry]

Not a fan of these open space plans, little privacy and can be noisy.

There's always a certain amount of people who act like spoiled brats every time there's change. Suck it up. I've been at my company (a hospital) for 20 years and they've crammed us into all sorts of environments. I sat in the basement by the morgue, with no windows, for a few years so excuse me if I don't have sympathy for people moving into the nicest building on the planet.

Bold: It's a nice building but not the nicest in the world.

I don't get it that people always seem to say things like: The biggest/nicest/most beautiful while they never have seen everything.

 

[SoN1NjA]

Obviously not built for everyone, but for a team like the processor one, isn't there some underground secret lair for important stuff? Isn't that where Jony's team is going?

Also, a couple gems from the Snapchat Story

 

[Amazing Iceman]

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.

These people are getting paid to work there.
Unless you are working for free, your employer decides the work environment for you; if you don't like it, you are free to leave.

 

[weup togo]

There are some senior people in engineering who have already left the company in anticipation of this idiotic downgrade.

 

[Mac37122]

These same dissatisfied employees likely have no problem sitting in a Starbucks next to total strangers for hours on their laptops without a bother.