Various research indicates that offices without closed spaces require more mental effort from workers to perform the same tasks and an increase in stress.
Since the pandemic, offices around the world have quietly shrunk in size. Many organizations do not need as much physical space or as many desks, as many employees now work in a hybrid model, alternating between remote and in-person work.
But on days when more workers need to be present, offices can seem noticeably busier and noisier. Despite so much attention focused on workers returning to offices, much less has been considered the impact of returning to open workspaces.
Now, new research confirms what many suspected: our brains need to work more in open spaces than in private offices.
What the latest study tested
In a recently published study, researchers at a Spanish university fitted 26 people, ages 25 to 65, with wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes. The EEG test measures brain effort by tracking electrical activity through sensors on the scalp.
Participants performed simulated office tasks such as monitoring notifications, reading and responding to emails, and memorizing and recalling lists of words.
Each participant was monitored while performing the tasks in two different environments: An open-space workspace with colleagues nearby and a small work booth enclosed with clear glass panels on one side.
The researchers focused on the frontal regions of the brainresponsible for attention, concentration and filtering distractions. They measured different types of brain waves.
As explained in detail by neuroscientist Susan Hillierdifferent brain waves reveal different mental states:
- “gamma” is linked to states or tasks that require greater concentration;
- “beta” is linked to higher levels of anxiety and more active states, and attention is often directed outward;
- “alpha” is linked to a state of deep relaxation and passive attention (like listening silently but without interacting);
- “theta” is linked to deep relaxation and internal focus;
- and “delta” is linked to deep sleep.
The Spanish study found that the same tasks performed inside the closed cabin and in an open workspace produced completely opposite patterns.
It takes effort to filter out distractions.
In the work booth, the study found that beta waves – associated with active mental processing – decreased significantly over the course of the experiment, as did alpha waves, linked to passive attention and general activity in the frontal regions of the brain.
This means that people’s brains needed less and less effort to keep the same job.
Tests in the open office showed otherwise.
Gamma waves, linked to complex mental processing, increased steadily. Theta waves, which monitor both working memory and mental fatigue, increased. Two important measures also increased significantly: arousal (how alert and activated the brain is) and engagement (how much mental effort is being applied).
In other words, in the open office, participants’ brains had to work harder to maintain performance.
Even when we try to ignore distractions, our brain needs spend mental effort to filter them.
In contrast, the booth eliminated most background noise and visual distractions, allowing participants’ brains to function more efficiently.
The researchers also found much greater variability in the open office. Some people’s brain activity increased dramatically, while others showed modest changes. This suggests individual differences in relation to how much we consider open spaces as a source of distraction.
With just 26 participants, this was a relatively small study. But their findings corroborate a significant body of research from the last decade.
What previous research has shown
Another from 2021 found a significant causal relationship between noise in open offices and physiological stress. Studying 43 participants in controlled conditions – using heart rate, skin conductivity and AI facial emotion recognition – it found that negative mood in open-plan offices increased by 25% and physiological stress 34%.
Another demonstrated that background conversations and noisy environments can impair performance on cognitive tasks and increase worker distraction.
A 2013 survey of more than 42,000 office workers in the United States, Finland, Canada and Australia revealed that those in open-plan offices were less satisfied with their work environment than those in private offices. This was largely due to the increase in uncontrollable noise and lack of privacy.
Just as we now recognize that poorly designed chairs cause physical strain, years of research have demonstrated how workspace design can result in cognitive fatigue.
What to do about this?
The ability to focus and concentrate without interruptions and distractions is a fundamental requirement for modern intellectual work.
However, the value of uninterrupted work continues to be underestimated in workspace design.
Creating zones where workers can adapt their work environment to the task is essential.
In response to the increase in the number of employees working hybridly after the pandemic, the LinkedIn redesigned its office main in San Francisco. LinkedIn has halved the number of workers in open-plan offices and 75 types of work environments are being trialled, including work areas for quiet concentration.
For organizations looking to look after the mental health of their workers, there are practical measures to consider. This includes the creation of different work zonesacoustic treatments and sound masking technologies, as well as strategically placed partitions to reduce visual and auditory distractions.
Although implementing these extra features may represent a higher initial cost than an open-plan office, the investment may be worth it. Research demonstrates the significant and hidden negative impact of poor office design on worker productivity, health and retention.
Providing workers with more choices about their level of exposure to noise and other disruptions is not a luxury. To produce more, with less mental effort, better office design should be seen as a necessity.
