"When we worked from home during the pandemic, the key thing people liked - aside not from commuting - was not being interrupted.”
Just one insight of many shared by Dr Libby Sander, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, during her recent 'Bond Health Presents' lecture.
Dr Sander analysed Covid as a catalyst for rethinking workplaces and spoke about lessons learned from recent research.
LISTEN TO DR SANDER'S LECTURE ON SOUNDCLOUD HERE OR SPOTIFY HERE.
“We know from decades of open plan office research that just shoving everyone together doesn't make you collaborate more. It doesn't make you solve problems," she said.
"In fact, very often it can do the opposite because you get frustrated.
"What I found in my research is that when you can't focus and concentrate to do the basic elements of your job then you will actually collaborate less. You'll become more withdrawn and more hostile.
"A lab study we did here - which has been published - showed a causal link between standard open plan office noise and a 34% increase in physiological stress and a 25% increase in negative mood.
"And that was just a fairly moderate level of noise.
"So it really matters."