What Is an Open Bullpen Office?
Recent trends in offices point away from cubicles and into a more open desk style known as the bullpen. So named after the traditional and chaotic working spaces of newspapers, the bullpen is becoming a popular office style for offices that want to crate a sense of unity and community among its employees.
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History
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Open-style office spaces were the norm for the early part of the twentieth century. The term bullpen in relation to office design seems to have been applied to any kind of temporary or crowded quarters. And just as the name implies, employees in a bullpen had no permanent space, but would often work wherever they could. Then, in 1968, Herman Miller Inc. launched a product called the Action Office. It was the first cubicle. Over time, the bullpen style office faded until the name became synonymous with the newsroom, one of the few offices that still maintained the style of design. More recently, as the bullpen style of office function has grown, journals have taken to calling the decor choice a "newsroom-style bullpen."
Function
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In bullpen-style offices, desks without walls are grouped together by department or function. Privacy is lessened, but communication is increased.
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Significance
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The bullpen has been used and praised by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.
Advantages
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Proponents of the bullpen-style office say that the style of decor allows them to better keep in touch with their various employees, allows them to have a better idea of what is going on in their offices and helps to foster a sense of team and community among their office workers
Disadvantages
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While the bullpen style of office has proven effective for fields where communication is a focus, in more traditional offices, the open floor plan has been seen as a detriment. According to CNN, when traditional offices have incorporated an open floor plan, employees who have no permanent work space to call their own have instead chosen to work from home.
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