Office Doors

The offices in my department are mostly on one floor, laid out in a square, offices on the outside, then a hallway, then interior departmental offices and such inside. That means each instructor has a window to the world, though not necessarily a great view (my window looks out on the gravel roof of the next wing); still there's at least a view of some natural light, and I'm VERY grateful for that. The interior offices, where our admin assistants and student workers work, offer no such pleasure.

The department office door is nearly across from my office, nearer the building elevator doors. There's a huge window in the office, looking out to the hallway, which eases what might otherwise feel claustrophobic in there. And there's a large sign indicating that it's our department hanging into the hallway, but it seems that few people look up, because I often get someone walking into my office, asking if I'm the English department. My snide side wants to ask if I LOOK like a department, but usually I just point to the huge window and door and head them there. I really don't know why people miss that door as they walk by to ask me if I'm the department, but someone does it at least three or four times a week.

Our office doors have a fairly large window, a vertical opening from about midway to near the top of the door, about 6 inches in width (and yes, all jokes about women and judging distances apply, thanks).

Our general practice is to have office doors open when we're in the office; it's not a rule or anything, but that's how most people work. Or at least, that's how it seems. Because the other practice is that most of us cover the window in some way so that if we're in the office with the door closed, someone can't really look in. Choices for the covering are varied from art or wrapping paper to a street sign (positioned vertically), to just plain paper. The more talented amongst my colleagues manage to create enough privacy that you can't tell if the light's on or anybody's home. You can tell from outside if my light's on, pretty much, but there's sufficient privacy for my needs. (One the other hand, I'm not changing clothes in here if I can help it.)

Open doors allow some little natural light into the hallway during the day, making the whole floor seem more friendly and inviting, and less fluorescent. Open doors also give me a sense that people are around, which I like. On the inside of my office door, rarely seen, hangs my regalia in a nice dust cover thing, and also whatever jacket or coat and hat I may be wearing, depending on the season.

I like having my office door open when I'm in. For one thing, the office seems a lot larger with the door open. But I'm also weirdly picky. I don't like people to just walk in; in fact, the only people who really just walk on in are students. And oddly enough, some of them walk in if the office is open even if I'm not actually IN the office. Some even walk in when I'm in the office with someone, which seems most odd to me.

I usually have office hours with my doors open, unless we're discussing something that seems to need privacy. I think that's also true for most of my colleagues.

Some of my colleagues leave their doors slightly ajar when they're in, inviting a knock, but not a walk in, perhaps.

We have reasonably prominent office numbers, but no name plates or anything. Instead, we're asked to fill out a little, tiny, miniscule office hour form, which displays our name in 12 point type. A few people have put up bigger name plate things. Really, we all should have something that makes putting offices and people together easier for our students. I've rebelled against the miniscule office hour form, and gotten a big weekly time sheet (on regular sized US academic paper), and labeled and colored (with highlighters, though my ability to stay inside of lines lacks) in my schedule, mostly so that I can tell where I need to go next from across the room. Hey, if I can read it, so can people who want to find me, right?

One either side of my office are colleagues' offices. Well, duh. I like these two colleagues; both are friendly, nice, and so forth. Both also have voices that carry. Okay, to be honest, both have voices that you could hear distinctly on the far side of an open football stadium filled with cheering fans. Both also like to stand in the hall and carry on conversations with people at the far end of the hall. Sometimes, they stand just outside their own door and converse with each other.
That complicates the whole open door thing.

I've asked to move offices this summer, after one of my colleagues retires. I'll be in a much quieter area of the hall. I told another colleague this the other day, and she said that I'd be breaking up "Testosterone Alley." I hadn't thought about the all male-occupied side of the floor there, but I guess that's what they've called it. It cracked me up. At least it's a whole lot more quiet! (And no, we thought it through and there's no "Estrogen Alley"; mostly we're pretty gender mixed through the floor.)

So, in your world, open doors? Big prominent names? Conversational colleagues?