I often equate flying in an airliner with spending time with 150 roommates. They each have their habits, hangups and annoyances. Even so, you might actually enjoy spending some of your valuable time getting to know a few of them. So, when an office environment goes from cubicles to a fishbowl, reactions tend to settle into two camps: introverts who hate it and extroverts who like it. Can both be happy in the same space?
Most of us probably have a leg in each personality type, even if we favor our dominant side. I believe we’re all capable of being more than one type at any given moment, but how it makes us feel is the difference. Individuals can be forced to do something they’re not comfortable with and, even if they succeed, their stress level is likely high as a result. Numerous articles have been written about the open office trend and how it affects individuals differently, especially the quieter ones. Stress on the job can be a silent career killer and the office environment can be the main culprit.
The office dynamic typically includes folks who thrive while under the spotlight and who enjoy being seen and heard around the office. They're the ones on speakerphones, or setting off airhorns when a new sale is made, or just walking about chatting people up, sometimes after 4pm when others are getting antsy about leaving for the day and trying to stuff the remaining day's work into those shrinking minutes. It's not to say that office extroverts don't get things done. On the contrary, these workers tend to be leaders, are often fun to be around and have a very vocal way of letting the rest in the office know just how the business is doing. They're successful in their own, very open ways and are necessary for a company to thrive. These are the folks who literally put the "face" in face time.
It's a bit harder for the quieter ones. Often, these are the creative folks – the strategists, designers, writers and developers. Most creative people need their time and space to focus on their tasks and they tend to keep their noses to the proverbial grindstone. An open office floor plan is a potential nightmare for these workers and many find themselves changing their work habits or fighting through the distractions with a heavy burden of stress as a result. It's not uncommon for these employees to get most of their work done before the bulk of their colleagues arrive or after they leave the office. In some cases, that makes for extremely long days or even home and weekend work just to stay caught up. But letting a company's decision to open up the floor doesn't have to be the death knell for creativity. It's all about balancing the space and carving it up enough to own the parts you need to own.
1. Make room for you
You have to make your physical space work. Besides the creature comforts you can line your desk with, you can create visual separation by asking for a larger monitor, if possible, or moving the one you have to block out prying eyes or avoiding the stares from the person across from you. You probably can't put an 6' ficus tree between you and your neighbor but little suggestive barriers like a line of books or a second monitor are subtle ways to make the space yours without declaring your rebellion against the collaborative virtues of the open office. Just FYI, bamboo grows very tall and is hard to control, so don't even try it.
2. Use a good filtration system
If the noise and extra activity is a distraction, get some pleasant sounds in your ears. You might not get away with full over-the-ear headphones without the risk of being declared anti-social, but if your office is OK with it, use some earbuds and play some music you like or even listen to some white noise to keep the focus on your work. Now, this shouldn't be an all-day thing either. Every now and then, take them off and acknowledge those around you or walk about the office on one of the multiple breaks you should take away from your desk. A simple "how's your day going so far?" is a good way to engage someone lightly enough to show interest in their work while still owning the pace of your day. Ask a neighbor if any noise from the headsets bothers them. It won't, unless you have the volume at "11", but it does two things: it tells them that you care about their environment and it lets them know that you're not trying to be anti-social.
3. Embrace your inner cat
Ever wonder where that cat goes to hide for hours at a time? Sometimes too much activity drives them away and it's true for some humans too. If your office floor plan is open, there's a likelihood that collaboration rooms or other spaces have been provided for semi-privacy or concentrated team activities. Take advantage of these spaces. They might be in high demand and in some cases even have to be booked in advance, but they might also be right at the end of your row of workspaces or in a corner away from traffic. If you've got a laptop and a seat, you can pretty much make any spot into a temporary work space. The point is to change your surroundings, even slightly, and still remain visible to others. There can be some really bored people who do little more than pay attention to where others are at any given moment so staying in sight while carving out some extra privacy could be a win-win. The change of scenery could even be a mental energy boost and a stress reducer. Speaking of stress ...
4. Ask for help
It might not be the easiest thing to do but depending on how comfortable you are speaking with the boss, you can try asking for help to make sure you're optimizing your productivity and delivering on your promises. If you're a believer that your work speaks for itself, then how you get it done is secondary. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way and you have to have management that supports results over methods. But there are compromises that you might not know about until you ask. Let your manager know what you are working on regularly and try and ask for advice and support with getting the right results. Be honest about how the environment affects you without being specific about individuals. After all, the open office could have been your manager's idea in the first place. Ask that he or she allow you to get some work done outside of the office when needed, perhaps once a week to begin with, but you have to consistently deliver on what you've promised in return. However, don't forget that being out of sight means you'll have to work harder to show you're still a team player. That's where the next suggestion could help.
5. Toot your own horn
This is one of the hardest things for introverts to do but there are subtle ways to let others know about your accomplishments. A regular update of what your team has accomplished is a benign way to show the value you provide. If you lead a team, then give accolades all around about your group's "wins" for the week or month. While you're away from your desk or even working remotely, you have to chime in enough with good information (a sales lead, a link to a relevant article or a question you need answered) that says you're on the ball. It seems silly to think that you'd have to do this but experience shows that name recognition in the office goes a long way, especially if you're not there all the time. Don't let the good work you actually do get eclipsed by misguided perceptions about your availability. Get your name out there by giving your colleagues something in return like good information they can use. A friendly "hey, I saw this and thought of you" or "have you seen this?" type of email are a couple of simple examples, but be genuine. Trust me. If you've ever gotten one of those out-of-the-blue emails, however sincere, someone might have tried this on you while away from the office. You're a creative person. Get creative. Just don't ignore your work.
6. Get out
I don't mean quitting, not unless you feel harmed by the added stress and you think it's not worth staying. I mean getting out of the office during the day. It's essential if you find yourself hindered by the open office setting. You need to break things up. Take walks, work from other parts of the office, but seriously, get out from time to time. Lunchtime is the logical time but it could be at other times too. Maybe you need to sit in your car for a while and sit in silence or listen to music as loud as you want it. Maybe you just need to be in a different scene for a bit. If you're not hungry at lunchtime, or if you brought something you can eat on the go, eat, then go run a few errands and get rid of some of the angst over what you have to do before you get home. The key is to find what's stressing you at the moment and get it out of the way. If you're concerned about what others might think about you stepping out at odd times during the day, just let your boss know. Ask if there's anything you can bring. Make this about them as much about you and be open in your communication. If you consistently deliver good work, this should not be an issue but this level of trust has to be earned. Once you get there, you'll be surprised at how much easier things can get.
Note: I offer this advice based on my own personal experience with various management styles and different office settings. There are surely others who have studied this dynamic more closely who might offer their own advice and I encourage you to pursue those studies as well. A simple search will accomplish that. What I do know is that things don't always work out the way we'd like in an office environment and we have to make the best of circumstances that are less than ideal. However, never stop putting your physical and mental health above all else when it comes to work. If stress doesn't get you now, it will get you later and the more you do to balance out your day and alleviate the tension, the better off you'll be. Just remember that establishing mutual trust and delivering on good work is key to surviving the open floor plan, especially if it makes you feel uncomfortable. It might not happen right away, but it definitely won't if you don't get started. You can do this.
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