科學家:開放式辦公弊大於利

Working in an open-plan office is bad for the brain and constant noise and lack of privacy disrupted brain activity and impaired concentration, a study shows。

Open plan offices were introduced in the 1950s to improve communication between colleagues. But scientists now claim they may be doing more harm than good。

The findings were revealed in The Secret Life of Buildings, a Channel 4 show which aired last night。

In the programme, presenter Tom Dyckhoff wore a cap which measured brainwaves while he attempted to work in a busy office. The results revealed that intense bursts of interruption 。

Dr. Jack Lewis, a neuroscientist who carried out the test, said: "If you are just getting into some work and a phone goes off in the back ground it ruins what you are concentrating on. Even though you are not aware at the time, the brain responds to distractions."

The show also found that workers who were not allowed to add personal touches to desks and walls were less productive。

Dr Craig Knight, a psychologist at Exeter University, said: "If employees have been allowed to enrich the space themselves with their own things it can increase their wellbeing by 32 percent and their productivity by 15 percent."

He explained:"It is because they are able to engage with their surroundings, feel more comfortable and so concentrate."

Last year, University College London surveyed 20,000 UK professionals about their happiness with their office environment。

They found that 56 percent complained of lack of privacy, 55 percent about poor temperature and 60 percent about lack of quiet space. One in three was concerned about lack of daylight and noise levels. Many said they were “crammed” into their offices and felt like “battery hens” which, researchers said, could make them paranoid。

Other studies show that open plan offices could cause workers' ill health. It may raise employees' blood pressure and lead to stress, exhaustion and flu。據英國《每日郵報》8日報道，一項研究表明，在開放式辦公室裏工作有損大腦，持續的噪音和缺乏隱私會干擾大腦活動，導致注意力不集中。

開放式辦公室於上世紀50年代被引進，旨在促進同事間的交流，但如今，科學家稱開放式辦公室弊大於利。

昨晚，這一發現在英國四臺《建築的祕密》節目中播出。

節目中，主持人湯姆•迪克霍夫頭戴一頂能測量腦電波的帽子，嘗試在一間繁忙的辦公室裏工作。腦電波測量結果顯示，他的注意力頻繁地被打斷。

設計該實驗的神經學家傑克•劉易斯博士說：“如果在當你正開始一項工作時電話鈴聲響起，你的注意力就會被分散。就算你當時沒注意，大腦也會對干擾有所反應。”

研究還發現，禁止員工在桌子和牆上擺放私人物品也會降低其生產力。

埃克塞特大學心理學家克雷格•奈特說：“如果員工獲得許可，能用私人物品豐富自己的空間，他們的滿意度會增加32%，生產力提高15%。”

他解釋說：“這是因爲他們能夠與環境融合，感覺更加舒服，因此注意力也更集中。”

英國倫敦大學學院去年曾調查2萬名英國上班族，瞭解他們對辦公環境的滿意程度。

他們發現，56%的調查對象認爲開放式辦公環境缺乏隱私；55%的人抱怨辦公室裏的溫度；60%的人感覺環境嘈雜。三分之一的人對缺乏日光和噪音水平高表示擔憂。不少人說，與同事“擠”在辦公室中，感覺就像是“機械化飼養的雞”。研究人員表示，這種心理可能使他們患上妄想症。

其他研究也表明，開放式辦公場所有損員工健康。可能導致員工血壓升高、壓力增大，疲勞和患上流感。