[dijit]

I also have the same predicament as you, I simply _cannot_ focus in open office environments and I'm not even sure why so I can't curb the problem. I'm not sure if it's a feeling of being watched, or a feeling of uncertainty in my surroundings... or even if it's the possibility of being surprised/interrupted from behind.

Eitherway, I'm trying to push the idea of working from home- people aren't very receptive but after I've shown them I'm a good worker they'll be surprised when I finally get my wish and suddenly become significantly more productive.

the alternative of course is smaller offices for 3-6 people, I've only seen that in one place in my professional life and that was Nokia R&D in Helsinki where isolating teams was necessary for security reasons.

That was actually really nice.

[bambax]

> the alternative of course is smaller offices for 3-6 people (...) That was actually really nice.

Really? In my experience a small office with more than 1 person is worse than a complete open space (while an office for 1, with a door, is the best).

To be productive I need to not see and not be seen; I feel more anonymous in a big loud crowd than in a small office with 2 other people who can still speak to one another or to me, or on the phone, etc.

[dasmoth]

It can depend on the situation. There have been a few small offices where I've felt moderately productive, but looking back they've tended to be filled with people from across the organisation, working on different things. The "team office" which I know is the ideal for some is a recipe for high visibility and unhelpful pressure.

[bbcbasic]

I work in an office of 12 and it's a reasonable number.

[gumby]

Looks like this was voted down so I upvoted. It's a germane datapoint.