What I Learned from Mad Men about Office Productivity

I’m going to be honest. I’ve been watching a lot of Mad Men recently. Like, an insane amount. Now that is a social workplace. While their office plans are not exactly open-concept, their doors and walls don’t seem to be stopping anyone from having a good ole time.

I wonder how productive they are in the world of Mad Men. They drink all day and take endlessly long lunches, then just sit around and talk for the rest of the day.

Now, this brings up the age-old question. How do you make an office more productive? Are open-concept offices better for brainstorming and creativity, or are they just a breeding ground for distraction? Do the walls make distraction-free zones, or is Don Draper just going to drink and entertain various women in there?

Well let’s think about this. According to a study done in 2013 by Gensler, 53% of workers felt like they were disturbed by other people when they were trying to focus in an open office plan. This article encourages balance between big open areas and private spaces to get an equal amount of that creative collaboration and quieter focusing time.

I read a lot about this and it seems to be true. Open offices also actually seem to decrease social interaction because people are watching. So that’s one point Mad Men, zero points trendy young office space.

While looking into all of this, I stumbled across an interesting set of arguments. Should we be friends with people at work? Katheryn Vasel at CNN Business says no. I’m sure you know what our friends at Sterling and Cooper say… That’s probably enough Mad Men references, right?

Her points are as follows: there’s not enough room at the top for you and all of your little work friends, you don’t want to be lumped in with someone else’s behavior, and you’ll probably just end up talking about work.

These are solid points, Katheryn, but I offer a counter-argument (backed by the pros section of an article listing the pros and cons of being friends with your coworkers). Having friends at work makes work more enjoyable. It enhances creativity and decreases misunderstandings. When done correctly, it can be a downright joy.

In every job I’ve ever had (and there have been quite a few), I have had close friends who I can eat with, chat with, and most importantly- trust. They make me happy and excited to go into work for 9 am- 11 pm shifts that I would otherwise dread.

There are right and wrong ways, though, to make sure productivity does not become compromised and boundaries are still in place. The professional workplace can be cutthroat and even scary, but it doesn’t have to be a sense of dread, and chances are, your coworkers want a friend, too. Most people only consider around 15% of their coworkers to be their “real” friends, but that’s all you need sometimes to get you through the day.