for my thesis....

It occurred to me a couple of months ago that the idea of the 'home office' reinforces the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. People used to work out of their homes as farmers, blacksmiths or artisans. They used to sell their wares and/or services and things were much more local, hand-crafted, and decentralized. Along came the industrial revolution and people began migrating to labor in factories. Cities sprang up and so did slums. The economy centralized and later shifted to a more white collar workforce. People "went into" work, sometimes commuting hours to get to the office.

Now, a lot of people are working from their homes as artists and craftsmen again. They are selling their work on etsy.com and their personal websites while getting paid through paypal. The internet has made that possible. Anyone can have a store front on the web. Much more interesting is that even high-tech and financial industries are following suit.

Corporations are asking their employees to work from home to save costs on office space, retain valued workers, improve employee morale, and inspire innovation. An article in Business Week titled "Square Feet Oh, How Square" says,"By dumping square footage, negotiating flexible leases, reconfiguring shadow space, creating movable, everything-on-wheels offices, and designing 'getting away without going away' areas, companies can better leverage their talent and inspire innovation." The savings are tremendous and that is why home offices are on a rise. More and more people are telecommuting and therefore, setting up home work spaces. "For the second consecutive year, an American Institute of Architects survey of industry professionals revealed the home office is the most popular special-function room in the house." (Business Week, November 15, 2006).

The home office is a system of computers, wiring, storage, lighting, and furniture and just ripe for re-design, streamline, and innovation. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the unique personalities that make up this pajama workforce.