[BerislavLopac]

One thing I don't understand -- in this time of laptops, tablets and ubiquitous internet access (whether in-office wi-fi or the mobile broadband), why do we still have this discussion?

Are there any companies out there who have a heterogeneous office layout, with open-space areas, single-person rooms and anything in between which could then be used by anyone to their own preference? I would like to see a setup where I'm able to work together with my team in a small-group environment in the morning, and then retreat to a single-person office in the afternoon. In most companies, there is very little reason to be bound to a single desk throughout the day.

I can imagine such a workplace, with team leads/managers being responsible to coordinating their teams when it comes to workplaces, and ideally the company would monitor the usage and constantly adapt and improve the workplace accordingly.

[spoondan]

Have you actually worked in an environment like that? In my experience, hoteling as the only option is deeply unpleasant. People like to have a single place to go. They like to have a desk they can personalize. They like to have a place they can leave their stuff overnight.

If you only provide hoteling, I think the majority of people will just claim a desk as theirs, and you effectively have no hoteling at all.

[BerislavLopac]

"People like to have a single place to go."

I'm pretty sure some do, and I'm pretty sure some don't. Heck, some people would prefer it for some time, and then not for some more. I certainly know that describes me pretty well.

My idea is not hoteling-only; it's the option you can choose and request, like any other you prefer; in case of any conflicts it would be up to the leads/managers to make the decision.

"If you only provide hoteling, I think the majority of people will just claim a desk as theirs, and you effectively have no hoteling at all."

The operating words being "I think". I think otherwise, and there is only one way to find out.

[Fomite]

Yeah, I really dislike hoteling, because I'm not in an office - I'm in a weird office display space, like you'd find in Office Depot or Ikea. If you're giving me space, give me space I can decorate and make my own.

[aalear]

The Stack Exchange office has a number of open areas where folks can (and do) work if they bring their laptop along. As a developer, though, I like my multiple monitors, my keyboard, etc. Once in a while a change in the environment is nice, but most times I find not working with my optimized setup is more annoying than anything.

(Mind you, since our teams are distributed, there's often no such thing as "working together in a small-group environment" that doesn't involve being on a hangout, and everyone being in a private office helps immensely with that.)

[abecedarius]

A private office, you can adapt to your own needs and practices. The arrangement you describe has advantages, but so does a space you can customize.

[rwmj]

You might equally ask why don't we all work remotely?

(Disclaimer: I work remotely, in a team of > 50% remote workers, and believe it works very well)

[BerislavLopac]

Because, in many cases, no kind of communication software can supplant the face-to-face interaction, especially when multiple people are involved. The best distributed teams I've worked with are those that organise live meetups at least every few months.

[specialist]

Just attended a hackathon (hosted at Socrata). The ad hoc organizing felt good, natural. Wish my day job was more like that.