People often ask me about my office-living experience. Usually they ask the same questions–where I sleep, where I shower, where I keep my stuff. The reaction is usually a mix or awe and excitement, but rarely one of application to their own lives. This is understandable, as living in one’s office is a fringe lifestyle. And due to the general attitude about what should or shouldn’t be a home, that makes sense.
But what if that attitude is challenged? What if living in one’s office became at least a little more common?
Below I give five reasons why it’s worth considering office living as a choice*, not as a counterculture act but more of a practical solution to a growing economic problem.
1. Affordable Housing is Disappearing
Everyone’s afraid to say it, but the American middle class life is disappearing. Families that were once supported on a single income now struggle with two. Cost of living soars as wages stagnate. Our options are becoming more and more limited for how to live a life we were once told was all but guaranteed. Father History has placed us in a difficult time, not because our struggles are insurmountable, but because they are far from what we grew up expecting. It’s a transition and we need to weather it. I could cite endless studies clarifying the numbers on the effects this is having on communities across America, but this is a hopeful post. So I’ll trust readers are well aware of this and move on.
2. It Keeps Homeless Off the Streets
If you’re unable to pay your mortgage or rent anymore, there’s a decent chance you’ll up on the streets, likely transitioning by living in your vehicle. While this can be an excellent way to boost your finances up to your goal, it’s not always an ideal option. With homeless rates skyrocketing across America, the working homeless among them, the contentious relationship between property owners and vehicular dwellers is at all-time highs. Cities are criminalizing vehicular homelessness (or in the case of LA, those laws are being struck down as unconstitutional) and, in fact, all kinds of homelessness. Even if it is legal, living on the street comes with its potential hazards. Random violence and vandalism is rare, but possible. More likely, “vanimals” and those like them incur major inconveniences like poor weather, disruption of sleep patterns due to noise, even ants infiltrating their sleeping areas (don’t ask). Sleeping in the office doesn’t solve all of these problems, but it sure as heck beats being stuck out in freezing rain. And in doing so, keeps the homeless out of site for those less sensitive residents who seem offended at their existence.
3. Free On-Site Security
Having a responsible employee around overnight greatly decreases the risk of loss at the workplace. Any company with assets in-office can sympathize with the high insurance rates and general stress keeping your business safe. I can say first-hand that being on hand for issues was a benefit, from small issues like a leaky roof to more serious risks like an actual break-in. Yes, I thwarted thieves attempting to steal company property. Yes, I saved the company thousands of dollars. Yes, it was awkward trying to explain to law enforcement and employees what I was doing on the premises at three in the morning. (And yes, you’ll have to wait for my book to hear the full story!**) So I can say with certainty that this is a legitimate security option. In superlative scenarios, replacing a paid security guard in favor of a gratis overnight employee could be an overt arrangement.*** Otherwise, it’s just another perk of having an employee around at odd hours.
4. Increased Productivity
Saving a good chunk of one’s paycheck is great for morale. For someone struggling to pay their pills, the relief of even a single month living without rent can inspire an improved attitude. This benefit was confirmed during my first employee performance review after moving in. My boss sat across from me and told me how it seemed I was happier and my production had gone through the roof. “It’s like something clicked a few months ago.” Yeah, no shit. I’m not stressing about collections. The timeframe she indicated coincided exactly with when I started inflating my air mattress every night beneath my desk. In fact, I even made some improvements to the place while I was there–structural and decorative–which earned me extra praise and made me feel more at home. Had we the award, I’m sure I’d have been nominated for Employee of the Year. It’s a simple corollary: Higher Morale = Improved Performance = Increased Profits.
5. The Office-Living Community is Growing
You or your employee(s) wouldn’t be the first to take up this lifestyle, that’s for sure. Other more- and less-publicized people have made the same choice, sleeping in their offices on full- and part-time schedules, for short and long periods. They are making the choice to convert an underutilized space into something practical. The most compelling of these are the folks running our government (and I use the term “running” loosely), with up to 33 members of the United States House of Representatives living in their offices in Washington, D.C. at any given time. 33! These are people Americans have chosen to represent them to create laws. Tell me that’s not justification enough. In 2012, it was nationally reported that a 19-year-old entrepreneur lived in AOL’s offices for a couple months to prioritize his ambitions over rent. Later his startup had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to get off the ground. In 2014, new Penn State football coach James Franklin admitted to sleeping in his office as his family searched for housing. And of course there’s me, saving tens of thousands of dollars on rent and, in turn, writing a book, drafting a television pilot, producing a documentary, learning the guitar, and traveling the world thanks to my sacrifices.
Not everyone agrees that living this way is appropriate. And there are understandable arguments to the contrary–and some downright immoral arguments. Whether or not it is right for you depends on your situation.
Critics address the potential cost of having someone take up nightly residence, and in some cases that might be true. For me, I saved the company in areas like lighting and climate control, lowering or turning these things off completely every night. In a small company, that has a noticeably positive impact. My presence had a demonstratively positive impact on the organization’s budget. Others may not have that luxury.
It’s important that the lifestyle not interfere with the primary function of the workplace. Whether this is self- or leadership-regulated, it should be the primary goal of all involved. Foremost, the workplace is just that, so anytime it is needed to perform that function it should be given priority. Late meetings, weekend events, cleaning crew arrivals. These are all priorities over an individual’s comfort. One ought to keep a clean and tidy space and do the same with his or her appearance. Living homeless (or home-free, if your choice is made out of liberty rather than desperation) means fighting against deeply ingrained prejudice about your situation. So keep it respectable. Respect those around you who are choosing and able to live in a more traditional way and you’ll be more likely to receive that same respect. That’s a principle anyone should follow.
This lifestyle is an option for those struggling with a challenging financial situation, it can be a dignified way to change your situation for the better.
Look into it. Maybe it works for you. If so, you could become the next Office Hobo.
-TOH
* I should say that it’s important that the right to live in one’s office should be a choice rather than a compulsion. The Labor Movement of the Progressive Era already handled the issue of company-owned housing, with rising rents and cuts in wages sparking the Pullman Strike of 1894 and many other instances like it.
** Update: I’m currently on the third draft, working hard to get that to you soon. Thanks for your patience:-)
*** A critic once asked me what I’d do if a coworker moved in. While this is an absurd hypothetical, should a future workplace more open to this idea arise, then leadership should consult with interested parties to determine a workable solution. Many factors can be at play here, so I won’t delve into them all. But a solution seems far from impossible for those sensible enough to consider one.
Well, I think you are a good writer and I think you are very courageous. Youth on your side, I imagine. Go for it cause it aint gonna happen again any time soon. All the best to you.
>> Having a responsible employee around overnight greatly decreases the risk of loss at the workplace.
What’s more, it’s tax free to the employee, because it would be for the convenience of the employer.
The employer cold set things up to make it more private and comfortable, if it was acknowleged.
The problem might be zoning laws but that’s a local issue.
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Living at work:
There are employment rules against living like that in South Carolina. Of course, they turn a blind eye in some cases(Football coaches). It is a very hard thing to regulate, but it seems to solve a serious problem. I would rather see a working single mom or dad spending the night in a safe, nearly unused, and warm place. It is crazy to have willing hard working people living on the street, while these building remain empty most of the night.
There are a few issues. What happens if the building burn down? Where do you people bathe? Would you like to see a 12 year old person doing something like that alone? It sounds good, until something very bad goes happens. I like the truck home.
It is most definitely a complicated issue, Von Bailey, and a frustrating one considering the dire consequences for those who are left out in the cold, so to speak. What happens if the building burns down? The same thing that happens if a house burns down–the person inside escapes or doesn’t. It’s a tragedy all the same. We bathe at gyms, though some of us have in-office showers. Bathing in gyms means we exercise there, too. And no, I wouldn’t like to see a 12-year-old person live anywhere alone. I’d wish for their families to take them in and give them the love, care, and shelter they deserve. I’m glad you like the truck-home; I do, too.
I have a friend who attended the university here and managed to go undetected until he/she graduated. He/She saved enough money working 2 jobs and graduated without any student loans. The way my freind did it was he/she slept at the library that was open 24 hours for attending students with current student ids. Took showers at the athletic department daily. Ate meals at the university’s cafeteria and hung out for the wifi. He/She had a locker to keep personal items. The university had student lounges that allowed university students to be able to study and work on projects as long as the student needed. Now my friend is a millionaire that own properties he/she rents to university students with very limited budgets. It is possible to exist undetected as long as you don’t have a child to care of or worry about. I could probably do this at my current workplace because the company I work for is open 24 hours. My workplace has a full gym with private showers, I have a locker big enough to store a weeks worth of clothing, and I could sleep at my desk as I’ve seen other coworkers have done.