This may sound like a rant, but I believe it’s a serious issue.

So called open work environments, in which just about no one has an office and everyone is out on the work floor either in a cube mosh pit or in open workstations has got to be the worst way to work in advertising. Speaking as a writer, I need a door to close so I can concentrate and have some peace and quiet in order to get my work done without distraction. And what if I have to talk privately with my wife or doctor? Does the whole office need to know about my personal life? It’s demeaning and shows a total lack of respect for a company’s employees.

I know of one agency in New York in which even the Executive Creative Directors don’t have offices. If they need to have a one-on-one with an employee, they have to book a conference room. And, since that’s next to impossible, they usually take it outside or go to a Starbucks. That’s ridiculous!

Architecture/interior design firms have sold companies a bill of goods with these design schemes. They claim it increases communication, workflow and productivity. They say that they can design environments with more sunlight when offices are eliminated (although, more often than not, the offices are still there — they’re just filled by executives and pencil pushers). But what about employee morale? What about treating employees with respect by giving them a space to work in conducive to the type of work that they actually perform?