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I loathe them. From a sensory perspective, I cannot get comfortable in my seat when I feel like my space is floating. I need to be somewhere that feels enclosed - at least my back to a wall, preferably where I can change sitting positions - for deep focus.
If I was forced into one, I would scope out a seating arrangement that allows for this (a waiting couch outside a conference room, for example) and try to claim it as my de facto work space.
You have no idea how happy it makes me to be reading this… not happy that you deal with it, but I’m starting to get fed up with how coworkers tell me I’m being “uptight” or “too picky” or “crazy” or “it’s really not that serious” or any of the 5000 other comments I get when I express having trouble focusing when smack in the middle of a large room filled with stark white walls and shiny white desks, completely exposed 360° to anyone, and as if the lighting was intended to incite seizures
We are not robots that have been made to function in the same way!
sigh
Open spaces have caused sensory overload: too much noise, light, movement, and sources of distraction.
Noise canceling headphones and sunglasses usually help mitigatethe noise and light issue, but movement is trickier to manage. A reasonable adjustment could be reducing the number of days worked from an open space. The concept of Open spaces could never come from an A(u)DHDer. 😅
Maybe try noise canceling earbuds?
I read recently that open spaces are coming back... Hope not... I hated it and don't look forward to seeing it again. All those people who have an obnoxious laugh and laugh often, places with lots of activity, people who talk on the phone loudly even though we have booths for calls, people who talk loudly, etc.
I hate them we have a version of them in some of our offices and it’s awful. Thankfully my office isn’t one. On top of that they are very small desks and I have a lot of stuff…
open plan office are a nightmare for the sensory sensitive but people are slowly building awareness and solutions.
i have a couple of resources for you
1. interview with Kay Sargent of HoK and Mary Kate Cassidy - about designing with sensitivity in mind
https://clarekumar.com/podcast/ep_2-how-to-design-with-sensitivity-in-mind/
and a conversation i held on Glassdoor's audio platform Fishbowl about Productivity for ND professionals - you might find some hope there as well.
https://clarekumar.com/fishbowl/
i recommend speaking up for what you need to be your most productive. I'll offer one last free resource for you - a Work Style Profile you can create to articulate the conditions that invite your best performance. complete the questionnaire, create your one-page profile and consider sharing with your leader and your team. the better we understand each other, the better chance we have to meet each other with compassion-infused compromise.
https://clarekumar.com/work-style-profile/
I think it’s not only ND people who have trouble with this.
I think some of the purpose for this is accountability, but it comes at a huge cost.