Workplace as a Non-place

30 Oct, 2023

In the great resignation and layoff, many of us lost colleagues that worked with us but we have never met them. You know their name and their simulated avatar, but you never know. In this post, I claim that the current dynamic of the workspace that lays a lot of emphasis on remote/flexible working might be creating a new kind of workspace. A workspace like a bus stop. When we are all waiting for the bus (or working), we exchange smiles (or not), and then we are in our own ways. One such philosophical concept that sheds light on this phenomenon is the notion of "non-places," as proposed by French anthropologist Marc Augé.

Non-Places

In his seminal work "Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity," Marc Augé introduced the concept of non-places as spaces devoid of meaningful social interactions and personal connections. Non-places, such as airports, train stations, and shopping malls, are characterized by their transitory nature, where individuals engage in fleeting encounters, devoid of lasting relationships. Augé's assertion that these spaces lack a historical and relational context raises intriguing questions about the role of place in shaping human experiences.

Through this lens of non-places, let us examine what is a lifecycle of an employee at work :

• Entry presentation: A new worker, Sam has joined. He is remote. Today, he will give us a small presentation about him. Sam shows up on the camera. His background is already blurred. He seems a nice bloke. Lots of experience, and his presentation is about his work in design. Oh! He likes to hike and sometimes play board games. We could be friends.
• Day to Day work: It has been 3 months since Sam joined. I haven't seen him. He works with us. He seems to be working on something with other teams. I wonder when will we go on that hike.
• Exit presentation: It has been one year, and Sam decided to leave. He is a nomad. So, he is taking another bus to another country and will work from there. I guess, we will never hike.

Something like this may have happened to a few of us. Permanence is no longer a thing, but not a presence. Remote working seems to be changing the work dynamics, especially in creative industries like design. This shift has challenged conventional notions of the office space as a place of convergence, interaction, and collective endeavour.

In my view, remote-only work has transformed traditional office spaces into Marc Auge's non-places. The main characteristics of a non-place correlated with the new workspace :

1. Anonymity: Non-places are often characterized by a lack of personal or individual identity. They are spaces where people tend to be anonymous and interchangeable, and where personal connections are minimal. Oh yes! One is totally replaceable in a job anyway.
2. Transience: Non-places are frequently associated with transient or temporary activities. People pass through these spaces rather than staying for extended periods. Many people seem to be choosing a freelance job (more flexibility) and employment tenure falls slightly in competitive sectors ¹. With added remoteness, people seem to be just moving around.
3. Standardization: Non-places often exhibit a high degree of standardization and uniformity in their design and layout. They are typically functional and utilitarian, lacking unique or distinctive features. There are design sprints, agile, entry presentations, time processes etc. Every company has it the same but with different names. Standards help control things, a typical feature of a Deluzian control society. I wrote a bit about that here.
4. Lack of Social Interaction: Non-places are not conducive to social interaction or community building. People in these spaces typically have limited engagement with others and may be absorbed in their own activities or thoughts. Slack, Teams, Zoom or whatever stack companies work with are designed to make work efficient (huh! ²) and limit casual social interaction. A casual watercooler chat that can help calm down a stressed workmate or come up with a profitable side quest seldom happens.
5. Transactional: Non-places are often linked to transaction activities. They are places where people engage in transactions, such as shopping centres, fast-food restaurants, and service stations. How often does someone ask on Teams, "How are you?", before asking you about that presentation they wish to get a few hours early.

Creativity in a non-place

Augé's exploration of non-places challenges us to contemplate the impact of remote working on the fertile grounds of creativity. The physical environment, with its stimuli and serendipitous encounters, played an indispensable role in nurturing creative thinking. However, the transition to remote working has introduced a potential dampening effect on creativity by making interaction purely transactional. The isolation of individuals in their private domains may lead to a dearth of diverse perspectives, stifling the cross-pollination of ideas that flourishes in a vibrant office atmosphere. The absence of sensory triggers intrinsic to the office space could contribute to a monotonous routine that may hinder the emergence of groundbreaking concepts.

Next Steps

While remote working undoubtedly offers unparalleled flexibility and autonomy, we must not overlook the intangible social and creative nuances that traditional office spaces fostered. As we traverse this uncharted terrain, striking a balance between the virtual and the physical, the ephemeral and the enduring, becomes imperative in ensuring that the office space does not devolve into a mere non-place, devoid of the rich tapestry of human connection and ingenuity. Like a good work presentation, I have some next steps. These are based on the five characteristics of a non-place. Maybe these can help, you and your organisation to think of ways to balance things :

1. Anonymity:
   • Give team members more human presence like their hobbies. Market people within the company so they do not wilt in the background.
   • Rituals that help people talk about non-work related interesting things. They can show their city, their cat, their neighbourhood. Just help humanise people.
2. Transience:
   • Make ex-employee groups and keep them close, as universities do.
   • Incentivise people to stay. Bend rules if they help accommodate people.
   • Make sure people enter and leave with the same grace. Do not just log them out and brick their computer.
3. Standardization:
   • Make non-standard practices. How about every meeting starts with a clap?
   • Question practices. Why agile? Why Sprint? Why this daily standup?
4. Lack of Social Interaction:
   • Create opportunities so random people can meet each other. Quarterly Off-site, local company groups for remote employees in a city, Non-cringy sharing sessions on cool things
   • In my acting class, we play a game called, "Never have I ever.." once in a while. It builds up a lot of bonding quickly. Here are some other stress-free games you can play.
   • Rituals like Swedish Fika³, Spanish Merienda ⁴, on Indian evening Chai where people talk about non-work things. You get the idea.
5. Transactional: It is quite hard to work on the transactional nature at work. In many cultures and companies, work is transactional. There is no hiding. Getting over this transactional nature takes months and years of bonding and it is mostly a personality thing. I believe the above can help in any case.

Hope it was an interesting read, Cheers, Rohit

^{_{In this article, I am experimenting with using ChatGPT and OpenAI to research and help me write better and more often. Feedback welcome.}}