Thursday 8 March 2012

The spatial implications of homeworking: a Lefebvrian approach to the rewards and challenges of home-based work

an article by Robert Wapshott (Bradford University School of Management) and Oliver Mallett (Durham University) published in Organization Volume 19 Number 1 (January 2012)

Abstract

In this theoretical article we propose an approach to the spatial implications of homeworking derived from the work of social theorist Henri Lefebvre.

By highlighting the processes involved in the inherently contested and (re)constructed nature of space in the demarcated home/work environment we draw on Lefebvre to suggest a collapse of this demarcation.

We consider the impact of such a collapse on questions relating to the rewards and challenges of home-based work for both workers and their co-residents. In contrast to our approach to the spatial implications of home-based work derived from Lefebvre, we argue that a traditional, Euclidean conception of space risks ignoring the important, symbolic nature of social space to the detriment of both the effective research and practice of homeworking.

Hazel’s comment:
I’ve marked this one up to read the whole thing as it seems to accord far better with my method of working at home than the traditional “you should have a separate space, you should keep work and home separate, etc”.


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