Open Office Woes

Open Office Woes

From Healthy Work by Healthy Work Podcast

March 22, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the negative impacts of open office layouts on employee experiences and job satisfaction based on recent research.

In episode 115, we explore a workplace trend that refuses to die despite years of employee complaints and growing research evidence: open office layouts . Drawing on a newly published study by Michael Rosander and Morten Nielsen in Occupational Health Science , we break down what different types of office setups mean for bullying experiences, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions . Using a large, representative dataset of Swedish office workers, the researchers compare private offices, small shared rooms, traditional open offices, and activity‑based workspaces. Their findings are striking: employees in traditional open office environments are 54% more likely to experience workplace bullying than those in private offices. And while all office types have some level of risk, the most unstructured, desk‑sharing open plans show the highest rates of negative interpersonal experiences, lower job satisfaction, and greater intentions to leave. You can find the original article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41542-025-00246-x You can find the video version of this episode here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get…

Topics covered

  • open office layouts
  • workplace bullying
  • job satisfaction
  • turnover intentions

Keywords

  • office setups
  • workplace trends
  • employee complaints
  • research evidence

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Occupational Health Science

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