Open Spaces Need to Focus on Employees—Not Just Densification

Megan Spinos, director of strategy and business development at Vocon

NEW YORK CITY—Is the now ubiquitous open office space actually counterproductive? Echoed in dozens of articles, including BBC Capital’s “Why Open Offices are Bad for Us” and Inc. magazine’s “9 Reasons that Open Offices Are Insanely Stupid,” people are questioning this real estate trend.

Megan Spinos, director of strategy and business development at the architect and design firm Vocon, says the problem is not about open spaces but about not understanding employees’ needs. Vocon focuses on corporate workspaces. It consults on a national level for organizations on office design and workspaces to improve productivity, employee satisfaction and retention. A few of her clients have included CBRE, Forest City Enterprises, Jones Day, the Cleveland Clinic and Goodyear’s global headquarters.