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I'm absolutely no expert, but if it's really about noise, isn't good noise-cancelling headphones a much cheaper investment than more walls?

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for me it's not just the sound, lots of people in the same room is distracting, and makes it hard(er) for me to concentrate. For some reason even more so if everyone is silent.

Silence is not natural. That's why people work and sleep better with white noise. Go out into the jungle and see how quiet it is. When it gets really quiet, something's up.

And that hits the nail on the head for why even BigCorps are moving to open floor plans. Walls cost. Tables are cheaper than ergonomic desks.

I'll tell you what, though. Working at a table on a laptop all day is really bad for neck and eyes. I miss my big, eye-level monitor.

I couldn't do that. I've had eye strain and dry eye issues for years, and I've found that an ergonomic work environment helps a lot (proper lighting is a big part of that). What you are describing might even be an OSHA violation.

Using cheap tables, giving your employees laptops without external keyboards and stands and using big, bright florescent tube lighting is terrible for workers. It harms their bodies and hurts productivity.

Where I live you could sue your employer for that. Stronger yet, they'd get an unannounced visit from the work-health folks and get a massive fine.

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