What are you looking for?
Featured Topics
Select a topic to start reading.
Modern managers are obsessed with open plan/ open space offices. Do they even realize how much this setup hurts some of the workers?
I have social anxiety, with some generalized anxiety, made worse by an autoimmune illness that has jitters as one of its symptoms. I'm not employed at the moment, and it was the open plan office that made me quit my job. Seriously. After daily anxiety attacks, I couldn't stand it anymore.
The constant ambient noise and presence of people all around. Constantly having someone walk behind me. It gave me a primal sense of being unsafe. No semi-private corner to escape to and concentrate on my job. No wall behind my back to feel more secure. Unexpected social interactions that I didn't have time to calm myself down for. A boss with a super loud voice always on the phone. These were major anxiety triggers.
Then this new coworker joined the team. He had some type of disorder - something that made him unaware of social cues, so that he would talk, and talk, and talk, and talk. On random tangents that were hard to follow, and random, sometimes inappropriate topics. I tried to be sympathetic - after all, my anxiety is also a disorder. But our two conditions could not have been a worse match. He would try to chat with me, and I would put on headphones the moment I spotted him walking in. He probably thought I was mean, but I was really just overwhelmed with those interactions.
My only escape from all that was to book small conference rooms, take my laptop there, and work there for an hour or two at a time. I thought this wasn't bothering anyone, and I would finally be able to actually do my job. It worked out for a while, and I had happy clients to prove that I was capable.
But... performance review comes up. The boss says I'm doing really well with the clients, my coworkers like me... Oh, except he needs me to "be there" with the team more. Because team culture, workplace dynamics, blah blah blah. And I like to work in those conference rooms.
I tried and tried to get used to the stupid office setup. I went to therapy for the anxiety. And still, I would sit there trying to focus on work, and instead my mind would be going fuzzy, I would feel like I was going to faint, and all I would want to do is escape.
I'm so glad I quit that job. The sad thing is though, a ton of offices are becoming open plan. For all that the management praises their collaborative nature, I know they are just doing it to save money. So when I get a job again, it will probably be the same.
I've tried to explain to bosses in the past why I need to sit a little away from others, or next to a wall or something. They don't get it. It only hurts my career, because I appear as antisocial. They may not say it out loud, but they start to treat me differently after I admit that something like that bothers me. It was similar for my friend who has bad ADHD. She asked to move a little further from distractions, but to still be with the team. She was basically told - either move into a completely empty part of the building (which would make it super obvious to the coworkers) or stay where you are. Ugh. I wish our society would understand psychological conditions better and not attach so much negativity to them.
If you see a comment that is unsupportive or unfriendly, please report it using the flag button.
More Posts
-
Anxiety in Making a Doctor Appointment
I have a dilemma. Over the past few months, I have noticed increasingly severe acne-like sores, many of which are near a rather...intimate area. I know it's som...
-
Shy in an MMO
I know this is probably something pretty stupid and insignificant to write about, but I wanted to get it off my chest. I've been playing an MMO for the past 7 m...