Reddit, Distractions, and Draining Office Space

imgresThese days, when you hear about Reddit in the news, it usually has to do with something being leaked that shouldn’t have been. The latest controversy from the social media power, however, comes from the company’s offices. Recently, former CEO Yishan Wong left the company and now it’s coming to light that reason may have been because of office space.

Specifically, according to ABC News, “Reddit’s recently departed CEO says a disagreement over office space led to his resignation, but the job was already ‘stressful and draining.’ The headquarters of the popular Internet company, with an audience of 174 million people, is in San Francisco. But former CEO Yishan Wong wanted to move the company to Daly City, about 10 miles south.” When it comes to why Wong wanted to move the office, ABC points to a quote from Wong on Quora, where he says, “I feel the board is a very supportive and friendly one, but we had a strategic disagreement wherein I felt that locating an office in San Francisco proper is an incredibly difficult thing given the strains the city is facing and the high rents it imposes on employees who wish to live close to the office.”

The bevy of startups and the issues in the city are certainly fodder for plenty of office discussion and more importantly, distraction. It’s quite understandable how this could drain someone. According to Lisa Evans of Fast Company, “Recent survey data from Cambridge Sound Management revealed the impact of noise on productivity, which will likely come as no surprise to those of us working in open offices. The survey revealed nearly 30% of office workers are distracted by coworkers’ conversations. These distractions appear to impact men more than women, with one in three men saying they were distracted by noise at work, compared to one in four women.”

Distractions and potential stressors are very important to keep track of when planning your office space design. If you don’t have professionals to assist you, you could be at the risk of losing potentially indispensible employees. With the help of the experts at Office Space Planners, you won’t have to worry about that. Our expert team has decades of combined experience and education in the areas of interior design, space planning, computer aided design, drafting, corporate office relocation management, project management, ergonomics and systems furniture. Our services include analysis, commercial space planning, project management and move coordination.

Whatever office design needs you might have, you can’t go wrong with Office Space Planners!

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