"All the good places are already taken": Seeking out and holding onto a spot in an experimental shared office space
Abstract
The nature of work has changed substantially over the past decades, leading to transformations of the demands on the workplaces. We have conducted an exploratory observational study during an experiment with two redesigned office rooms in an academic environment, in which participants used shared offices in a hot-desking manner.
One of the main features of such space is that participants claim temporary jurisdiction over particular segments of the interior. Our observations point to the importance of material objects and space modifications used as place-holders, but also to the crucial importance of temporality.
While looking for a spot, participants display orientation towards the distinction of "empty" and "taken" places, as well as "good" and "bad" places. The current state of occupation is evaluated by the participants, based on markers of presence.
We discuss our findings in relation to Sacks' distinction of possessitives and possessables, and Goffman's notion of territories of self.