The two tasks people spend the most time at work doing are: focused work and small meetings. Focused work is best done in a quiet space, while small meetings often call for private, collaboration-friendly spaces. Open offices are full of distractions that hinder both of these types of work, with nosy neighbors infringing on privacy.

Dr. Anja Jamrozik, director of research at Breather, an office space rental company, in a recent interview with Inc. magazine for a story on open-plan offices.