Ya know, you're right! I do get several people an hour asking me if my boss is in - as if I can see through the wall behind me and it is very distracting.
That's why working in an open plan office is better - people can see right away if my boss is at his desk or not, without having to ask me. If he's away from his desk he's probably in a meeting.
People ask questions in my place all day...why would anyone hate being interrupted? How on earth do you communicate with others if you don't interrupt them??
Working in an open plan office for me means there is more communication and we very much have an open door policy. Our working environment requires that. If every director or manager was shut off in an office of their own, it wouldn't be as accessible to collaborate or do business.
One advantage of an open plan environment is, people are less likely to stand and chat as you are more easily seen.
