Should open spaces be banned? The editorial debate

Cost savings, collaboration, entertainment, the open spaces divide even our own editorial staff.

Should open spaces be banned?

Jonas Follonier

YES. As the’inclusive writing, the open spaces are counter-productive inventions in relation to the causes they are officially supposed to promote: listening, collaboration, team spirit... Like inclusive writing, the open spaces involve far too many people for discussion to be possible, for the air to be breathable. There is one difference, however: whereas inclusive writing, with its midpoints and other hyphens between masculine and feminine forms, makes words unnecessarily long, a shared workspace would be economical. Employers who opt for this solution hope to reduce their costs. But what about the distraction induced by the presence of others in the same room? Does the abolition of walls between colleagues really promote productive cooperation? After all, it's usually large companies that reorganize their workspaces by open spaces, This is because existing small and medium-sized businesses lack the resources to reorganize their offices. Yet collaboration problems and employee disinvestment are more prevalent in large companies than in small ones. The statistics bear this out. However, I don't want the state to prohibit open spaces (or inclusive writing). On the other hand, I'm campaigning for every individual who has the power to do so to abolish these fashionable structures of their own free will.

Yann Costa

NO. Let's not be fooled: presented as catalysts for agility and collaboration, the open spaces are first and foremost the result of an ingenious strategy for reducing workspace costs, popularized by the start-up. The Anglicism is no accident. Does this mean we should abolish them? Certainly not. By reducing the barrier to entry for small businesses, notably with the advent of shared workspaces (or coworking spaces), the open spaces contribute to entrepreneurial freedom. They can also strengthen team cohesion, particularly in professions requiring a constant flow of information. But with this drastic simplification of the workspace, an entire structure falls by the wayside. It's important to safeguard the essential elements. For example, by creating «silent» spaces at a distance from «collaborative» ones. Another crucial point: training employees to collaborate. Understanding when and how to engage a colleague, and preparing interactions so that they are productive, are key skills in an open environment. This approach stimulates collaboration without sacrificing concentration. In short: if we can't afford walls and doors, let's at least show a little imagination, sprinkled with a little workshops. After all, that's the spirit. start-up.

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You have just read a debate from our dossier «TRAVAIL», published in our print edition (Le Regard Libre N°104).