diff --git a/src/con.c b/src/con.c
index 5ecc2700..fe20dd02 100644
--- a/src/con.c
+++ b/src/con.c
@@ -2073,7 +2073,8 @@ static void con_on_remove_child(Con *con) {
 
     /* For workspaces, close them only if they're not visible anymore */
     if (con->type == CT_WORKSPACE) {
-        if (TAILQ_EMPTY(&(con->focus_head)) && !workspace_is_visible(con)) {
+        if (TAILQ_EMPTY(&(con->focus_head)) && !workspace_is_visible(con) &&
+            !config.empty_workspaces) {
             LOG("Closing old workspace (%p / %s), it is empty\n", con, con->name);
             yajl_gen gen = ipc_marshal_workspace_event("empty", con, NULL);
             tree_close_internal(con, DONT_KILL_WINDOW, false);