National Slap Your Annoying Coworker Day
Friday, October 23, 2026
The open office makes it worse. The proliferation of open office plans, which now account for roughly 70% of U.S. workplaces, amplified interpersonal friction. A Harvard Business School study found that when companies moved to open layouts,face-to-face interaction dropped by 72%. Rather than collaborating more, employees retreated into headphones and messaging apps, avoiding the very colleagues the design was supposed to connect them with
History
The open office makes it worse. The proliferation of open office plans, which now account for roughly 70% of U.S. workplaces, amplified interpersonal friction. A Harvard Business School study found that when companies moved to open layouts,face-to-face interaction dropped by 72%. Rather than collaborating more, employees retreated into headphones and messaging apps, avoiding the very colleagues the design was supposed to connect them with
How It's Celebrated
Celebrate by learning more about the occasion, sharing on social media with relevant hashtags, participating in community events, or taking small personal actions that align with the day's theme.