Open plan closes down

Recent research - looking at a number of existing studies - suggests that modern office layouts lead to lower productivity and higher worker stress.

The researcher, Dr. Vinesh Oommen, from the Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said that:

"In 90 percent of the research, the outcome of working in an open-plan office was seen as negative, with open-plan offices causing high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure, and a high staff turnover.”