Open plan means less privacy, more distractions and lower productivity. There are other problems too, like stress caused by working in a noisy environment or feeling that all conversations can be overheard.

Lindsey Kaufman explains how the open-office trend is a blights the working landscape:

“The New Yorker, in a review of research on this nouveau workplace design, determined that the benefits in building camaraderie simply mask the negative effects on work performance. While employees feel like they’re part of a laid-back, innovative enterprise, the environment ultimately damages workers’ attention spans, productivity, creative thinking, and satisfaction.  Furthermore, a sense of privacy boosts job performance, while the opposite can cause feelings of helplessness. In addition to the distractions, my colleagues and I have been more vulnerable to illness. Last flu season took down a succession of my co-workers like dominoes.”

Read the full article here.