Open plan offices may soon go out of fashion if recent surveys of office conditions prove to be accurate in their findings that the vast majority of office workers are dissatisfied with their workspace.

Open-plan has been the layout of choice for most large office with company culture geared towards collaborative work environments. The ability to work as part of a team is seen as an important skill in the workplace and employers have embraced the idea of staff working closely together.

But with 85% of people dissatisfied with their work space according to a survey from Ipsos it may be time to rethink office design so that it provides a better balance between working together and having some private space.

The survey which involved interviewing 10,000 workers across 14 countries showed that office workers lose 86 minutes a day due to colleagues distracting them, which can leave some unmotivated, stressed and with little capacity to work creatively.

Another survey showed that just 6% of office workers thought it was healthy to work in an open plan office environment. Working in an open plan office can result in more time off sick than working from home due to viruses spreading around work surfaces or stress.

A potential solution is to allow staff days where they can work from home to create a better balance however this may not always be possible depending on the industry.