Nowadays,a lot of companies switch to open offices. Do the advantages outweigh its disadvantages? Open-plan environment is becoming more and more popular in companies. Although some claim that it is a negative development due to the lack of...

Open-plan environment is becoming more and more popular in companies. Although some claim that it is a negative development due to the lack of privacy and concentration, I believe that open-plan offices bring us values from teamwork and facilitate communication.
The first disadvantage is employees have to put up with auditory and visual distractions. Without cubicles or separate rooms, the employees’ concentration will be disrupted by noises from co-workers congregating nearby. Consequently, it reduces productivity then spells financial loss to the company. Furthermore, people could feel inconvenienced since there is no privacy whenever they have any private conversation calls or texts.
On the other hand, there are many big advantages to mention. Sharing the same open office layouts can facilitate communication and collaboration between workers, so that it eliminates hierarchy and teamworks would be very effective. For instance, when the boss hosts a meeting, the workers would not hesitate to give their opinion to each other because it does not affect others' ego since they communicate well. Seperate rooms and walls would build space between the workers so that some of them could not get along and that caused a language barrier. Secondly, managers can supervise their employees to see if they are doing the best or not because in this environment it is very noticeable. In addition, employers slash construction costs by a considerable amount since they don’t have to pay for materials to build small rooms.
In conclusion, although open-plan arrangements have some drawbacks, it still brings people various benefits since it creates a friendly and effective workplace. The advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages in this trend.