Tech companies develop distaste for open offices

TORONTO, ON – Pioneers of the open office concept are scrambling to find ways to immediately erect barriers between office workers, reversing a trend widely seen across the tech sector.

As it turns out, shared desks and workspaces with no privacy or way to escape people’s sights, sounds, breaths and smells may be bad for your health.

Shopify Inc, Canada’s newest most valuable company, announced last week that most employees will not be returning to the office – at all. Shopify is leading the charge of the latest tech company trend transitioning nearly all employees to remote working arrangements.

The tech sector was one of the first industries to move towards the open office concept which is characterized by a lack of walls, open floor plans and shared workspaces. Employees often sit just a shoulder width apart with no tangible expectations of privacy.

Proponents of this new post-pandemic trend insist that companies should make the shift from only open and shared office space to zero open and shared office space.

“We need to go all in here, there is no in between, we must lead the industry into the new working revolution,” explained Sid Vermutha, CEO of a small tech firm in downtown Toronto.

Despite numerous studies shedding light on the counter-productive outcomes of a shared and open office plan, Vermutha insists this time it’s different.

He says tech companies shouldn’t wait for data on whether remote working leads to long-term productivity gains.

“I used to think my staff wanted to be surrounded by their peers at all times. But, now I realize my employees crave a calm, quiet, secluded, personalized space where they are free to develop their creative side and explore new ideas in a conformable environment that an open office simply cannot provide,” continued Vermutha.

Vermutha maintains that employees are already buying into the new remote working arrangements.

He says gregarious customer service reps and extroverted business development professionals are sure to thrive in their 550 square foot, 1-bedroom, single window downtown Toronto condos.