I’ve been working in IT since 1978. Punching cards first, then operating, later programming. From the early eighty’s on my work was carried out in some kind of office space. During those over 40 years I’ve sat in a dozen different offices. They all fell into one of four general categories. There is the open space concept, the cubicle farm, the classic office with door and window, and the home office.

In the order of worst to best, here’s my take on them:

My personal nightmare since the beginning of my career – the open plan office. At least in the early days I had my own assigned desk in that laying battery. Nowadays it seems to me that companies forgot, that this concept had been proven inefficient, unhealthy, and inhumane in the 1980’s. They are now coming back with the same old idea, adding a cruel touch to it with hot-desking.

 

Not much better, in my opinion, is the cubicle. A very popular office concept in the USA. If you never had to work in one of those, I recommend the movie “Office Space”. That should give you an idea, why this can’t be good. You get some visual privacy, and some companies allow personalization within reason. I had a pretty cool plant growing over “my” cubicle. The lack of window and door gets to you after a while, though. Also focus is lost easily with all the noise and traffic.

I consider myself lucky that, for over half of my career, I sat in a classic office with a window and a door. Most of those offices I shared with one to five colleagues, working on the same (or at least similar) projects. I always had my “own” desk to keep the necessities of my job and a few personal items. This office concept is as good as it will possibly get for most “typical” office jobs. If it weren’t for the commute I’d be fine working in a classic office for the rest of my career.

An unexpected side-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was the widespread use of 100% remote work for many people. The company sent me into home office on March 3rd, 2020. For me this office setting is a dream come true! Total focus, my own desk, my own equipment, privacy, no distractions, no commute – and (lucky me) my husband works with me in the same office, for the same company, on mostly the same projects.

If anybody ever told me, I have to come back into a company office for more than occasionally, I’d quit.