The Open-Office Trap – The New Yorker I absolutely loathe open plan offices. I have never been more productive than in the brief, halcyon period early my career where I had my own office. Or, I guess, when I work from home. Both of these things enable me to manage the terms on which I engage with colleague's requests for help. (Which isn't to suggest I don't wish to enage, merely that I want to do it in a planned and productive manner, not to be forced into it by someone saying my name…)