An article on news.com.au reported that open-plan offices are bad for your health. Not only do they lead to high stress, but they also increase your risk of illness. Being that most developers that I know work in cubicals, this is interesting news. To quote from the article:
“In 90 per cent of the research, the outcome of working in an open-plan office was seen as negative, with open-plan offices causing high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure, and a high staff turnover.”
The article goes on to say:
Working in an open-plan office could contribute to higher blood pressure, Dr Oommen said, and an increased risk of illnesses as bugs such as the influenza virus were more swiftly passed around.
If you are a standard cube-dwelling developer, now might be the time to ask about that corner office….