11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

Home
>
Business Management
>
11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

Many work environments now are open plan, with only a few senior managers having offices of their own. This style of work can have great benefits for team building ? fostering cooperation and collaboration and can be wonderful for developing the social aspects of teams, but on the flipside, it can drive some people crazy and be damaging to productivity. Most open plan offices require large numbers of people to learn to work together in very close proximity, which can present challenges, particularly relating to how we manage the physical environment, the noise and the constant interruptions. Share some of these strategies with your teammates to help you achieve a working environment where everyone is respectful of the needs and space occupied by others.

Keep it down! It's easy to overlook how far your conversation can travel in a confined space ? be mindful of what you can hear of others' conversations and remember that they can hear yours too. Especially if you are loud or have a unique voice (like me!) be aware of your volume.

Walk the floor. Don't yell across workstations ? walk over to the person's desk or use your e-mail or phone. Not everyone in the vicinity needs to be disrupted by your conversation.

Careful where you stand. Don't stop for conversations or hold impromptu meetings at other people's workstations ? be considerate. If you want to have a meeting, choose a space that won't impact others.

Get a room. If there are two or more people and you don't have a discrete space to meet, book a meeting room and be sure to tidy it up before you leave.

Anyone for music? If you like listening to music, keep it down to a level where it doesn't interfere with the concentration or comfort of your colleagues. If everyone agrees, you might choose a particular style of music and play it at a volume that suits everyone. Otherwise, buy yourself some headphones and keep the music to yourself.

Telephone etiquette. Be considerate about how you manage your phones, the constant ringing of desk phones and mobiles with their various show tunes other 'ditties' can be distracting and annoying. Turn your ringer-volume down to the lowest level that is appropriate for you, rather than let it blare though the office unnecessarily. Try to answer your phone or have your voicemail pick it up within three rings. Select a mobile phone ring that won't annoy others. If you will be away from your desk for a prolonged period divert your phone to your mobile or voicemail.

Take a message. Answer your neighbour's phone if it is appropriate. If you take a message send the details to them in an e-mail immediately to avoid lost phone messages on scraps of paper and post-its.

Hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. I've mentioned this one before, but it's worth repeating here. Agree among your team on a signal which will indicate to other people that you are unavailable ? that you are trying to concentrate on something or are on a deadline and do not wish to be disturbed. It might be an item placed on top of your computer monitor or desk, or even a sign taped to the back of your chair. When the signal is up, everyone agrees to not disturb you, when the signal comes down, people know that it's business as usual again.

Clear desk policy. Adopt a clear desk policy. It makes the overall environment more pleasant and comfortable, rather than looking like a hurricane has been through, and it's excellent for both personal productivity and security.

Stash it away. If you need some extra storage space, make use of space under your desk, rather than in walkways, but be careful not to crowd yourself or to create a cockroach haven.

Smile. Include some personal touches on your workstation, but don't overdo it ? you and your workstation are on display to your teammates and others who pass by your area and you want to leave a professional impression. Choose a photo of your family, a picture of a place you dream of going to or something else that inspires you and makes you feel happy.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy ? and where they focus their attention ? Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Democrats criticize Obama's proposed tax cuts (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.

UN Security Council calls for immediate Gaza truce (AP)

AP - The U.N. Security Council called for an "immediate" and "durable" cease-fire in Gaza in a resolution Thursday night even as fighting between Israel and Hamas raged with early morning airstrikes killing seven Palestinians and pushing the death toll to about 760 in the near two-week conflict.

Key panel recommends impeaching Ill. governor (AP)

AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.

Mini Dynasty: Tebow leads Gators past Oklahoma (AP)

AP - Tim Tebow gave Florida the jolt it needed to become a national champion. But all his efforts in a sloppy, choppy BCS championship game likely did little to quiet fans of Utah, Southern California and Texas, all of whom already claimed the top spot.

Job losses stack up as recession deepens (AP)

AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.

Oversight panel wants better answers from Treasury (AP)

AP - Less than a month after its first report, a congressional panel overseeing the Treasury Department's $700 billion financial bailout is demanding more answers.

Critics' final answer: `Slumdog' wins 5 awards (AP)

AP - The critics have spoken, and "Slumdog Millionaire" is their final answer.

Petraeus: Afghan, Pakistan problems are really one (AP)

AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.

Cheney: CIA did nothing illegal in interrogations (AP)

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he sees no reason for President George W. Bush to pre-emptively pardon anyone at the CIA involved in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. "I don't have any reason to believe that anybody in the agency did anything illegal," he said.

Prosecutors: Madoff was ready to send out $173M (AP)

AP - Prosecutors said Thursday that investigators found 100 signed checks worth $173 million in Bernard Madoff's office desk that he was ready to send out to his closest family and friends at the time of his arrest last month in what is alleged to be largest financial fraud in history.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday, ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to the 14-day-old conflict.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury over TARP: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Qaeda Pakistan leader believed dead: U.S. official (Reuters)

Reuters - Al Qaeda's operations chief in Pakistan and a top aide are believed to be dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest results of a campaign targeting the militant group's leadership.

Accused swindler Madoff "warm and charming": report (Reuters)

Reuters - Some friends of accused swindler Bernard Madoff considered him a "warm and charming" man, and one of his alleged victims praised him just before his death in 2005, Fox Business Network reported on Thursday.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal on monitors (Reuters)

Reuters - Europe on Friday looked for a swift restoration of gas supplies, after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a rancorous pricing dispute with Kiev.

U.S., Iran share interests in Afghanistan: Petraeus (Reuters)

Reuters - The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said on Thursday.

UN Security Council urges immediate Gaza ceasefire (AFP)

AFP - Israel was under intense pressure Friday to end its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip after the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll from the war rose past 760.

Progress in resolving gas row as Russia agrees to monitors (AFP)

AFP - Hopes for a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe were rising Friday after Russia agreed on the terms for the deployment of monitors in Ukraine.

11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

Business Management Business Management