Rules for better working in an open space
21 January 2013
Read by 1452 persons
This workspace organization is increasingly popular with companies. But it requires a good dose of savoir-vivre from employees so that cohabitation remains peaceful.
Between 6 and 8 square meters: this is the average space available to a tertiary sector employee to work. The main reason for this small space? The open space, adopted by 60% of French companies, mainly for economic reasons. People working in an open-plan office are, however, very reserved about the merits of this arrangement. The open space is indeed accused of generating stress, being noisy and tiring, preventing concentration, removing all intimacy… So, how to remain efficient in this hostile environment? A few common sense rules and good manners will help you to tame the place and fully enjoy these arrangements, not necessarily as diabolical as claimed.
Voice, telephone… Reduce the volume
Noise is the main nuisance of the open space. Between telephone conversations, the hum of all kinds of devices and discussions, the decibels quickly increase. Even if technical solutions exist, such as the installation of soundproof partitions, calm can only reign if everyone does their part. It is therefore necessary to avoid speaking too loudly or, worse, calling out to colleagues from one end of the room to the other. If you have something to tell them, move, send a text or an email. Also remember to set the volume of your phone’s ringtone to a minimum and put your mobile phone on vibrate. Better yet: filter your personal calls to only answer the most urgent ones, and take breaks to make your own calls from outside. You will spare your colleagues your debates on the number of steaks to buy for dinner or your best friend’s birthday present. If your profession involves spending many hours on the phone, use a hands-free kit: you speak less loudly when equipped. In an open space, everything is shared: noise, but also smells. As far as possible, avoid having lunch at your desk or leaving your leftover paninis in the trash. Be careful, however, not to slide towards a prison-like atmosphere. If you are a manager, tolerate moments of relaxation, even frank laughter, where everyone lets loose.
Keep your workspace tidy
Also remember to tidy up your belongings so as not to invade your neighbor’s living space. Avoid piling up files so as not to obstruct the visual field of your colleagues. And in the evening, when you leave, sort your papers. In short, out of respect for others as much as for the selfish concern of efficiency, tidy up. Adopting this discipline on a daily basis will help you to better manage your priorities and to start the next day well. At Sodexo, in a “full open space” since its installation in Issy-les-Moulineaux in 2008, these rules of communal life are formalized in a charter. It contains advice such as: “Let’s tidy up our belongings before leaving each evening” or “Let’s keep our workstation and common areas clean”… Respect for these elementary rules of courtesy is essential. Without these efforts from the users, life in an open space risks turning into a nightmare. It can even have the opposite effect to the one sought: hindering teamwork instead of promoting it.
Protect your tranquility and be discreet
When colleagues’ personal conversations become bothersome, don’t hesitate to intervene and politely request a return to calm. You won’t be seen as the killjoy if you explain that you have urgent work to finish and need to concentrate. At PepsiCo, employees are designated to ensure that the rules of good manners are respected. In case of disruptive behavior, they place a figurine representing the gendarme from “Oui-Oui” on the bad student’s desk! Whatever happens, stay zen. But if the situation becomes really unbearable, talk to your superior and ask to change places. Some large companies even organize job rotations every six months.
If you are a manager, make regular reminders, both firm and discreet, to limit the untimely interruptions of certain employees who confuse proximity and availability. You can accept that a colleague asks you one or two questions, but if they go too far, politely ask them to group their requests and come back later.
Another situation requiring intervention: you must put in their place people who find it witty to make a remark like “Are you taking your afternoon off?” as soon as a colleague leaves early. In an open space more than anywhere else, discretion should be the rule. Comments on departure and arrival times, in particular, should be banned if good neighborly relations are to be preserved.
Isolate yourself by putting on noise-canceling headphones
It is difficult to maintain concentration in a space where a dozen people are talking, laughing or moving around. When you need calm, isolate yourself. To do this, you can put on noise-canceling headphones, foam earplugs or listen to music (a common practice among 20-30 year olds who swear by MP3 at the office). If you have an urgent report to submit or an important telephone conversation to conduct, go to a meeting room or under a “bubble” designed for this purpose. Also use these isolation areas to deal with confidential files or talk to several people. Use them also when you have a problem to solve with one of your colleagues or a point to make with a collaborator: it is obviously not advisable for a manager to settle a conflict on a platform, in full view of everyone.
Take advantage of the advantages of the absence of partitions
The open space offers at least one advantage: it promotes communication and exchanges between members of the same department. It can also facilitate the integration of newcomers, who benefit from the experience of the older ones by seeing them work all day. With this type of arrangement, there are no symbolic doors or partitions to cross to reach your superior. Take advantage of this to talk and communicate more often with him, taking care not to abuse his availability. In these spaces without walls, it is possible to gather information much faster than elsewhere. If you keep your ears open, you will certainly learn a lot about current projects or techniques to use to convince a reluctant client. But be careful, messages are not necessarily heard in the same way by everyone and interpretations, even rumors, can circulate very quickly. If you are a manager, remember to organize regular meetings to clarify things.
Pierre-André d’Ornano.
Interview by Valérie Froger.
Capital.fr
Published on January 21, 2013.
Between 6 and 8 square meters: this is the average space available to a tertiary sector employee to work. The main reason for this small space? The open space, adopted by 60% of French companies, mainly for economic reasons. People working in an open-plan office are, however, very reserved about the merits of this arrangement. The open space is indeed accused of generating stress, being noisy and tiring, preventing concentration, removing all intimacy… So, how to remain efficient in this hostile environment? A few common sense rules and good manners will help you to tame the place and fully enjoy these arrangements, not necessarily as diabolical as claimed.
Voice, telephone… Reduce the volume
Noise is the main nuisance of the open space. Between telephone conversations, the hum of all kinds of devices and discussions, the decibels quickly increase. Even if technical solutions exist, such as the installation of soundproof partitions, calm can only reign if everyone does their part. It is therefore necessary to avoid speaking too loudly or, worse, calling out to colleagues from one end of the room to the other. If you have something to tell them, move, send a text or an email. Also remember to set the volume of your phone’s ringtone to a minimum and put your mobile phone on vibrate. Better yet: filter your personal calls to only answer the most urgent ones, and take breaks to make your own calls from outside. You will spare your colleagues your debates on the number of steaks to buy for dinner or your best friend’s birthday present. If your profession involves spending many hours on the phone, use a hands-free kit: you speak less loudly when equipped. In an open space, everything is shared: noise, but also smells. As far as possible, avoid having lunch at your desk or leaving your leftover paninis in the trash. Be careful, however, not to slide towards a prison-like atmosphere. If you are a manager, tolerate moments of relaxation, even frank laughter, where everyone lets loose.
Keep your workspace tidy
Also remember to tidy up your belongings so as not to invade your neighbor’s living space. Avoid piling up files so as not to obstruct the visual field of your colleagues. And in the evening, when you leave, sort your papers. In short, out of respect for others as much as for the selfish concern of efficiency, tidy up. Adopting this discipline on a daily basis will help you to better manage your priorities and to start the next day well. At Sodexo, in a “full open space” since its installation in Issy-les-Moulineaux in 2008, these rules of communal life are formalized in a charter. It contains advice such as: “Let’s tidy up our belongings before leaving each evening” or “Let’s keep our workstation and common areas clean”… Respect for these elementary rules of courtesy is essential. Without these efforts from the users, life in an open space risks turning into a nightmare. It can even have the opposite effect to the one sought: hindering teamwork instead of promoting it.
Protect your tranquility and be discreet
When colleagues’ personal conversations become bothersome, don’t hesitate to intervene and politely request a return to calm. You won’t be seen as the killjoy if you explain that you have urgent work to finish and need to concentrate. At PepsiCo, employees are designated to ensure that the rules of good manners are respected. In case of disruptive behavior, they place a figurine representing the gendarme from “Oui-Oui” on the bad student’s desk! Whatever happens, stay zen. But if the situation becomes really unbearable, talk to your superior and ask to change places. Some large companies even organize job rotations every six months.
If you are a manager, make regular reminders, both firm and discreet, to limit the untimely interruptions of certain employees who confuse proximity and availability. You can accept that a colleague asks you one or two questions, but if they go too far, politely ask them to group their requests and come back later.
Another situation requiring intervention: you must put in their place people who find it witty to make a remark like “Are you taking your afternoon off?” as soon as a colleague leaves early. In an open space more than anywhere else, discretion should be the rule. Comments on departure and arrival times, in particular, should be banned if good neighborly relations are to be preserved.
Isolate yourself by putting on noise-canceling headphones
It is difficult to maintain concentration in a space where a dozen people are talking, laughing or moving around. When you need calm, isolate yourself. To do this, you can put on noise-canceling headphones, foam earplugs or listen to music (a common practice among 20-30 year olds who swear by MP3 at the office). If you have an urgent report to submit or an important telephone conversation to conduct, go to a meeting room or under a “bubble” designed for this purpose. Also use these isolation areas to deal with confidential files or talk to several people. Use them also when you have a problem to solve with one of your colleagues or a point to make with a collaborator: it is obviously not advisable for a manager to settle a conflict on a platform, in full view of everyone.
Take advantage of the advantages of the absence of partitions
The open space offers at least one advantage: it promotes communication and exchanges between members of the same department. It can also facilitate the integration of newcomers, who benefit from the experience of the older ones by seeing them work all day. With this type of arrangement, there are no symbolic doors or partitions to cross to reach your superior. Take advantage of this to talk and communicate more often with him, taking care not to abuse his availability. In these spaces without walls, it is possible to gather information much faster than elsewhere. If you keep your ears open, you will certainly learn a lot about current projects or techniques to use to convince a reluctant client. But be careful, messages are not necessarily heard in the same way by everyone and interpretations, even rumors, can circulate very quickly. If you are a manager, remember to organize regular meetings to clarify things.
Pierre-André d’Ornano.
Interview by Valérie Froger.
Capital.fr
Published on January 21, 2013.
