Can the workplace be a home?

Historically, there used to be a physical boundary separating the business sphere from the personal sphere, which was the physical presence of the factory. However, the disintegration of this boundary has resulted in a merge between the two. The business sphere is making its appearance in the home, and the personal sphere is making its appearance in the office. No longer are these two spheres individual entities, but they are connected as one due to the reconstruction of place and space, evident in the reconstruction of boundaries due to capitalism. This thought leaves me pondering the thought of whether a workplace is a place or a space—can a workplace be a home?

In many cases, I have found my job as a home away from "home" as I have made many friends there and have revealed many personal matters to my coworkers as well. A place is recognized as maintaining privacy, belonging, power, ordering, and when speaking of feminists contributions, one may include resistance. In some instances, one’s home may serve as a place for arguments, dissatisfaction, anger, and frustration. In many cases, the workplace provides the only venue to escape this strife, which asserts the workplace as a place of resistance to home. One may not experience a sense of belonging or attachment within the traditional home anymore as a family man may find his identity replaced with one of corporate belonging. He may not necessarily spend time with his family, but would rather tend to his work, which may result in a suffering family and home life for this individual. Furthermore, power and ordering may not be as prominent in the home as it is in the workplace. At home, power is more dispersed throughout the family and is difficult to maintain, where one in a CEO position within the workplace does not have to contend for power with any individual. For many single individuals, the workplace provides a greater feeling of belonging that their permanent dwelling. Unlike the family man, who may personalize his workplace with pictures of family to remind one of home, someone who is single does not share this connection with the home. Therefore, it can be said that one;s home is empty. The business replaces this emptiness with interaction, communication, friendships, etc. The workplace does not solely serve as a place of work, but allows for the telling of private matters through conversations and such, which contributes to the establishment of a meaningful location.

My Two Cents,

Adam Carniel