Oh Rusty, you brought back so many memories of bad open-office spaces. They are supposed to foster teamwork; but so many of us who do solitary work (like editing, etc.) get stuck out in the open when we need to be able to concentrate. I hate open offices with a passion.
Does your office have a policy of no radios? The person I sat beside played a radio all the time. She never turned it off and it drove me nuts. It wouldn't have bothered me if she had used headphones.
When we moved to larger quarters, my boss tried to accommodate my need for quiet by placing my cubicle apart from everyone else. He was concerned that I wouldn't feel part of the team. (My job was only marginally related to the team anyway, so it didn't matter.) There were two major issues with the new location. While I was separate, my cubicle was completely open to a large space where people congregated, the elevators, and an open kitchen (sounds echoed). Also, I was in direct line-of-sight from my bosses office (and others). I eventually got an extra divider to help with that, just before I got laid off with 22 other people. I missed the pay cheque; but not the job. (2001 was not a good year.)
My current situation is better. My office is at one end of a small retail computer store so I can see when people come in. I am in a corner with an L-shaped desk and a table for tech work completing a U. The bonus is that I have a window on each of the two walls and nobody sits near me. My computer is shielded from everyone's view. I am partially-shielded by a five-drawer filing cabinet. That's about all I can do because I am the one who greets customers so the "real" tech can focus on fixing computers. It helps to be one of the owners. The funny thing is that I don't mind the customers. We're in a small town, so everyone is friendly.
You are not bitching. You are revealing things that help us know we are not alone, and sometimes make us grateful for the changes we've experienced.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-10-04 04:11 pm (UTC)Does your office have a policy of no radios? The person I sat beside played a radio all the time. She never turned it off and it drove me nuts. It wouldn't have bothered me if she had used headphones.
When we moved to larger quarters, my boss tried to accommodate my need for quiet by placing my cubicle apart from everyone else. He was concerned that I wouldn't feel part of the team. (My job was only marginally related to the team anyway, so it didn't matter.) There were two major issues with the new location. While I was separate, my cubicle was completely open to a large space where people congregated, the elevators, and an open kitchen (sounds echoed). Also, I was in direct line-of-sight from my bosses office (and others). I eventually got an extra divider to help with that, just before I got laid off with 22 other people. I missed the pay cheque; but not the job. (2001 was not a good year.)
My current situation is better. My office is at one end of a small retail computer store so I can see when people come in. I am in a corner with an L-shaped desk and a table for tech work completing a U. The bonus is that I have a window on each of the two walls and nobody sits near me. My computer is shielded from everyone's view. I am partially-shielded by a five-drawer filing cabinet. That's about all I can do because I am the one who greets customers so the "real" tech can focus on fixing computers. It helps to be one of the owners. The funny thing is that I don't mind the customers. We're in a small town, so everyone is friendly.
You are not bitching. You are revealing things that help us know we are not alone, and sometimes make us grateful for the changes we've experienced.