Office of the future, offices of the past
Perhaps to inspire Americans to get back to work after Labor Day, the latest Atlantic reports on the 鈥渙ffice of the future鈥� in a piece called 鈥淭hinking Outside the Cube.鈥�
Olga Khazan writes that offices of the future will look familiar 鈥� desks and chairs and coffeemakers 鈥� but things will be different. Furniture, for one thing, will be much smarter: 鈥淎 desk could expand to become a conference table, and walls could descend from the ceiling to create a meeting space.鈥�
Or 鈥渢he company鈥檚 espresso machine might, for example, be programmed to find the two teams that need to collaborate on a project and roll itself into position so that those workers will get up and spitball ideas over cappuccinos.鈥澛�
A little timeline (鈥淎 Brief Chronicle of Offices鈥�) notes that in the early 1800s 鈥淸t]he word countinghouse begins to be replaced by the word office.鈥�
It鈥檚 a transition captured in an 1855 reference from the historian Macaulay, quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary: 鈥淭here were those who still remembered him an apprentice, sweeping one of the counting houses of the City.鈥�
By the mid-19th century, countinghouse looked backward: 鈥淗e鈥� was presumably 鈥渞emembered鈥� from years 鈥� decades? 鈥� before.
Oxford鈥檚 first set of definitions for office refers to worship and liturgy: 鈥淒ivine Office.鈥� Then comes 鈥渁 position or post to which certain duties are attached, esp. one of a more or less public character.鈥� Then come definitions having to do with the duties of 鈥渙ffice.鈥� Then more broadly, and generously, 鈥淎 service or kindness done, or attention shown or given, towards anyone.鈥� This is the sense in the expression 鈥渢hrough (someone鈥檚) good offices.鈥澛�
The 鈥減rofessional workspace鈥� sense appears only at Definition 6. But The Atlantic notwithstanding, that sense does go far back into the language. Oxford鈥檚 earliest example is from Chaucer, no less, 鈥淭he Friar鈥檚 Tale,鈥� circa 1400. Someone says of a woman, 鈥淚 wol somne hir vn to our office,鈥� or in modern English, 鈥渟ummon her to our office.鈥澛�
The King James Bible (1611) is full of 鈥渙ffices鈥� 鈥� mostly priestly, to be sure, but here鈥檚 an example (II Chronicles 24:11) of the 鈥渨orkspace鈥� sense: 鈥淸T]he chest was brought unto the king鈥檚 office ... and when they saw that there was much money, the king鈥檚 scribe and the high priest鈥檚 officer came and emptied the chest....鈥�
This sounds pretty modern, especially the part about emptying out all the cash.
Oxford also cites a Colonial Boston newspaper鈥檚 report (1711) of stolen property and the reward offered if 鈥渁ny Person or Persons in whose Custody the aforesaid things ... are, will return them ... to the said Edward Weaver, at his Office....鈥�
However far back the workspace sense goes, though, before office was a place, it was a service, a role, a function, or an action. Form follows function, even as walls drop from the ceiling.
I鈥檒l leave you with that. My espresso machine wants to set up a meeting for me.
