I finally peeked into a WeWork office and noticed something weird about the layout

I was in downtown Austin last week helping a client move into a WeWork building and took a tour. Every single desk was facing inward, like no one wanted to look at the windows or each other. Does anyone else think that setup kills the whole point of coworking spaces?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_coleman102d ago

That thing about desks facing inward is actually strategic. I work in design and layouts like that are meant to cut down on distractions, not encourage chit chat. The whole "looking at the windows" thing can actually cause glare issues on screens during certain times of day, so they're probably positioning everyone to avoid that battle. Plus inward facing desks mean managers can walk around and see what everyone's working on without people swiveling around, which is creepy but definitely intentional in those spaces.

leo_fisher2d agoMost Upvoted

Plenty of people overlook the glare issue. Midday sun coming through those big windows can make a screen completely unreadable, so turning everyone away from them is just practical. The management visibility thing is real too though. I've been in places where they actually designed the layout so supervisors could see every monitor from the hallway. It's not an accident, it's how they keep tabs without being obvious about it. Cube farms used to be the same way with low walls. The whole setup is designed for constant low level oversight whether people want to admit it or not.

torres.grant16h ago

That bit about cube farms with low walls really got me thinking. I worked at a place back in 2010 that had those half walls and they painted them this weird beige color that just absorbed all the natural light. The glare thing is legit though, I've had to close blinds at 2pm because the sun was hitting my screen so bad I couldn't read my emails. But the real kicker was when they moved the break room to the corner with the best windows and then told us not to hang out there too long. I swear office managers have some kind of manual they all read from about how to make a space feel open but actually just be a fishbowl.