Linköping, Sweden — Workplace bullying is more likely to occur in open-plan office settings than in work environments in which employees have their own offices or share a space with only a few co-workers, according to a recent study out of Sweden.
Researchers at Linköping University used survey responses from more than 3,300 randomly selected Swedish workers.
The researchers note that the benefits of open floor plans can include more efficiency and promote creative interaction among workers. Still, findings show that these layouts also provide greater opportunity for colleagues to notice each other’s perceived shortcomings and, as a result, become irritated. This increases the risk of bullying.
Workers in open-plan office spaces also were more likely to consider looking elsewhere for a job. And the researchers say open-plan offices don’t promote health, job satisfaction or productivity.
“Traditional open-plan offices are in themselves negative for the individual, for productivity, and make people more likely to leave their job,” researcher Michael Rosander, a psychology professor at the university, said in a press release. “Social interaction also suffers. So, it’s worth considering how to handle it.”
The study was published in the journal Occupational Health Science.
