Office layout can shape workplace relationships, with traditional open-plan designs increasing the risk of bullying, while more flexible activity-based spaces appear to avoid the same problems, according to a major national study.
Study: Overt workplace bullying: The risks associated with working in an open office. Image credit: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com
Open offices have become popular due to their perceived benefits, but they can also reduce employee happiness by increasing stress. Recent reports published in magazines occupational health Employees working in a traditional open office Based on statistical models from a national survey of Swedish workers, the odds of being bullied at work are higher than in shared or private offices.
The hidden social costs of open-plan workspaces
Open offices are meant to optimize space and encourage collaboration, but critics say they can compromise privacy for profit and compromise the health and well-being of employees. Lack of privacy can contribute to workplace bullying. You have less privacy in your work and conversations, and more distractions and interruptions.
Additionally, open offices often experience noise and congestion. Noise can interfere with your ability to think and make good judgments, which can affect the quality of your work and your ability to concentrate. Crowding can cause emotional reactions and interpersonal tensions. In particular, interruptions, distractions, and intrusions can affect employee attitudes and cause friction. Performance may also be degraded.
In contrast, some say it increases interaction and collaboration between colleagues. However, previous research suggests that open offices can reduce face-to-face interactions by up to 70%, but this finding came from previous research rather than the current study. Some researchers suggest that employees may avoid interactions to reduce interruptions and maintain focus.
Theoretical perspectives on workplace aggression suggest that workplace aggressors may engage in strategic behavior to influence or control others, especially when they hold positions of power or high visibility, or when they interact frequently with others.
Previous research has shown that most employees dislike open office environments, reporting decreased job satisfaction, increased stress levels, decreased concentration, poor health, and increased sick leave. Many of those employees welcomed the opportunity to work remotely during the pandemic. However, the pandemic has also prompted many organizations to re-evaluate their office space needs, and in some cases this has contributed to the transition to more open offices. Many of these are designed based on activity-based principles. These had flexible seating and task-oriented workspaces rather than fixed desks for employees.
The authors note that one aspect that has received less attention in open office research is the potential for bullying, which produces many of the same outcomes associated with this type of office. The authors define workplace bullying as “systematic and prolonged exposure to negative behavior from co-workers or superiors that gradually reduces a person’s ability to stop or avoid the behavior.”
Importantly, this is the culmination of negative social interactions in the workplace. Therefore, workplace bullying is an independent outcome and not only a risk factor for adverse outcomes.
National survey investigates office design and bullying risks
This study used a probability sample of the Swedish workforce with 3,307 participants surveyed in 2024. The analysis focused on respondents who performed office work for at least part of the day. The researchers controlled for confounding factors such as demographic factors, personality traits, the extent to which employees used office space, and whether they worked remotely.
Traditional open offices have a high risk of bullying
Workplace bullying was more likely to occur in open offices than in shared or private offices. Logistic regression analysis showed that bullying was more likely to occur among employees working in open offices compared to private offices or small shared offices. When stratified by open office type, the authors found that the increased risk was driven by traditional open offices. Activity-based open offices did not show this increased risk.
Overall, approximately 12.8% of respondents met the study’s criteria for exposure to workplace bullying, although prevalence varied by workplace. According to the authors, this risk may be related to the physical and social conditions of traditional open offices. They propose several mechanisms that may contribute to this pattern.
For example, open offices may make it easier for employees to observe their co-workers’ perceived shortcomings in work and social behavior, and they may be more sensitive to behaviors that others find irritating. Additionally, employees may have fewer opportunities to remove themselves from negative interactions, weakening their coping strategies and increasing feelings of helplessness. Reducing face-to-face interactions can also delay conflict resolution and increase tensions over time.
Employees working in such offices also reported lower job satisfaction and were more likely to change jobs than those working in private offices or small shared offices. However, job satisfaction was mainly observed to be lower in traditional open offices, while turnover intention was higher in both traditional open offices and activity-based open offices. Importantly, the increased risk of bullying remained even after controlling for personality traits, suggesting that the effect is related to characteristics of the office environment rather than individual differences among employees.
The authors speculate on possible reasons. These include stress arising from the office environment, unrealistic expectations among coworkers, and limited social privacy, especially when tensions arise between employees.
Possible preventive measures include building confidence that disputes will be managed fairly and quickly by introducing formal complaints procedures and ensuring that administrators are prepared to intervene. Organizations may also provide temporary retreat or isolation locations to defuse conflict situations. Additionally, grouping employees with similar tasks and privacy requirements closer to each other can reduce distractions and interruptions. More broadly, the authors emphasize that creating a supportive office environment should be recognized as the responsibility of employers and organizations.
strengths and limitations
The strength of this study is the national sample and the performance of multiple analyzes for robustness.
However, this study relies on self-reported data, introducing social desirability bias and common method bias. This may have led to an underestimation of the risk of workplace bullying. Furthermore, the cross-sectional design means that the findings demonstrate an association, rather than proving that open offices directly cause bullying.
Office design should prioritize psychosocial health at work
Apart from spatial design, psychosocial health should also be prioritized when planning an open office design. A key feature of a healthy workplace is early resolution of problems and organizational processes that help prevent conflicts from escalating into bullying.
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