Employees with a private office have 70% more face-to-face interaction compared to employees in an open workspace

People who have their own office talk 70% more often with colleagues than those who work in a large, open space. This is remarkable because many people think that those in an open office talk more with each other. But that’s not the case. In an open office, people are often less inclined to talk to each other. This is likely because they feel watched or because there are too many distractions. As a result, colleagues talk less spontaneously with each other, which is unfortunate for collaboration and new ideas.

Instead of talking directly to each other, people in open offices tend to send emails more often. Emailing can be convenient, but it’s not the same as a real conversation. For example, with emailing, you miss facial expressions and tone of voice. It also depends on what kind of person you are—some people are more introverted, while others are very social. However, the general pattern that emerges from the research is that private offices are preferred when it comes to promoting face-to-face interaction.

Felipe Muñoz Cañas

very interesting. Can you share the reference Jeroen please?

Jeroen Sangers
Felipe Muñoz Cañas

thanks Jeroen! Jeroen, ahora en esp. te pido una recomendación. Como objetivo mi microblog lo tengo para expresar pequeñas ideas o compartir información de mi interés. Así, el idioma es clave. El inglés me es una barrera para esto. ¿Qué idioma recomiendas usar?

Jeroen Sangers

@felipe Creo que la respuesta es obvio: si el inglés es una barrera, lo mejor es escribir en español. De todos modos, siempre creo que el lector más importante de un (Micro)blog es uno mismo.Yo escribo en inglés, porque no me siento limitado por la idioma y además cuando estoy interactuando con artículos, blogs y redes sociales habitualmente ya estoy en «modo inglés», aunque según el contenido también publico a veces en español o holandés.

Felipe Muñoz Cañas

gracias Jeroen. Saludos.

Jeroen Sangers @jeroensangers