As the story goes, Henry Ford on occasion would fire an executive by changing the lock and blotting out the name on the hapless employee’s office door while he was at lunch. While this practice hardly epitomizes decency or proper employee relations, it does hearken back to something that has been on the decline in recent years: the private office.

For well over a decade, office designers and so-called efficiency experts have promoted open bays and cubicles as the best way to break down office hierarchies and promote communications, teamwork and camaraderie among employees while maximizing valuable office space. Interior designers, decorators and office furniture manufacturers were asked to respond to the open-office trend. And they did with an endless array of modular desk station components compartmentalized by padded stand-up partitions in a dull assortment of muted colors.

Problem was, nobody asked the employees who were being shuffled into these small partitioned cubicles and bullpens and told to communicate with each other and be productive. What has happened has been a colossal backfire. Employees have resented the wide-open spaces and the lack of privacy in their work environment from the very beginning of the open movement. Rather than encouraging teamwork and communications, open offices leave most workers annoyed, distracted and less productive. Given the choice between a small private office and a larger cubicle, they would prefer the office. In short, they would rather have their privacy, thank you.

The wide-open space trend has hardly been confined to secretarial and administrative support personnel. Middle managers and even some upper-level executives have been asked to make do in a bullpen or, at best, work in a sea of semiprivate cubicles where the need to work uninterrupted can be instantly compromised by anyone more than 5 feet tall peering over a partition. It’s incredible to me that seasoned sales professionals — in particular those with some commercial real estate brokerages — work in open-space “bullpens” reminiscent of the secretarial typing pools of a generation ago. Many of these people earn annual incomes well in excess of most corporate CEOs and yet they have no more privacy than an office temp.

It gets worse. Some companies, in particular several accounting firms, practice “hoteling” where employees do not have dedicated spaces and work out of whatever work station is available when they are in the office. The idea is that an employee who spends time in the field doesn’t need a designated workspace, much less an office. The employer can accommodate more employees with fewer workstations and less office space if there are always employees away from the office.

What all this emphasis on space efficiency and economy fails to take into account is employee productivity — or the lack thereof. It should come as a shock to no one that people who work in an uncomfortable environment are far less productive than those who do. Employers need to count the cost of economizing in office space and not having to provide private offices in terms of how such savings negatively impact employee productivity.

I am convinced there is a strong correlation between privacy and productivity and that privacy and open communications are not mutually exclusive. To quote Michael Brill, a leading workplace designer: “There’s this funny idea that openness feeds interaction. Where that happens is in the hallways and the coffee bar — exactly where it should happen.”

Topping the list of factors that affect employee productivity is the ability to do distraction-free work. Privacy is especially important to employees who are being paid to think and be creative. Privacy is absolutely necessary for employees who are handling confidential or sensitive information and materials.

To be sure, there are situations in which privacy is an impractical premium. In particular, companies with high numbers of temporary employees or those whose workforces are expanding rapidly need to have the flexibility of an open-space office environment to be able to absorb quick and steady increases in worker numbers (e.g. the technology industry). And, private offices cannot be provided to every secretary, clerk or administrative assistant.

However, office designers and employers need to begin thinking in terms of privacy as a productivity tool for middle managers, sales and creative types. Office floor plans need to include private offices and work areas, even if such spaces are smaller than those in open environments. There needs to be attention to providing more small conference and meeting rooms for activities requiring privacy.

In summary, good office design can conserve space, promote a team atmosphere and still provide the privacy necessary for employees to work productively.