Dive Brief: 

• Agencies have increasingly adopted the open-office concept, hoping to inspire communication and collaboration, but the concept comes with some down sides. 
• In an open office, noise and distractions are at a much higher level. To cope, headphones have become the new walls to keep out unwanted distractions for many agency employees. 
• Studies from the Finnish Institute of Occupation Health and the University of Knoxville Tennessee both point out the negative aspects of open offices, including increased distraction and a decrease in conversation confidentiality. 

Dive Insight: 

The current popularity of open-office concepts seems to have started with trendy Silicon Valley startups and trickled out into agencies and other industries. While the modern appeal and ideas of increased communication are tempting, the fact is that not everyone thrives in the same type of work environment. Blindly following a trend without researching the impact isn't a faulty move by agencies. A combination of private and public work spaces seems to be a logical solution for agencies that want to foster better collaboration.