The solution for open-office frustration

The frustrating disruptions that come with working in an open-plan office can play havoc with our concentration. How do you get around it, without being rude?

There's no such thing as a quiet day at the office for Jackson Carpenter.

With about 80 people sitting around him in his company's open concept office, the Utah-based public relations manager is constantly chatting or brainstorming with colleagues.

When he's not doing that, the sales team directly behind him is banging a gong every time they make a sale.

Think of the movie Wolf of Wall Street, but without the debauchery, he says.

While he enjoys the office's energy, it can be difficult to focus and get things done. It's a common complaint from those of us working in open concept spaces.

But there has been some progress: a few years ago, his employers gave everyone a block with one side painted red and the other green.

When the green side is up on a desk, you can walk up to someone to talk. When the red side is visible, it means stay away.

"In this kind of work environment that's important," says Carpenter, who started at the company, Lucid Software, in October. "It's a neat thing."

Open office escapades

With the vast majority of us now working in open concept offices - some studies have said that 70 per cent of US workers work in this kind of environment - companies are being forced to come up with novel ways to ensure we stay productive and don't find ourselves driven delirious from the noise and chaos.

Offices with no walls or even low-walled cubicles can reduce productivity by about 15 per cent and half of employees say a lack of sound privacy is the biggest problem with open office spaces, according to the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

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