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Ancient habits that still shape work today
Do you know where your
work practices come from?
Many of the work practices we take
for granted date back centuries
As we prepare for the next normal, we
need to check if they still make sense.
The first step in this process is to
understand their origins.
Here’s five to get you started.
You can draw your own conclusions.
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
Contrary to popular belief, the 8 hour work day is a lot older
than the Industrial Revolution.
It dates back to 1593, when Philip II of Spain wanted to ensure
the ‘health and conservation’ of his workers. There were even
provisions for some flex-work and dangerous professions.
Thank you Spain!
Where does
the 8 hours
work day
come from?
ORIGIN STORY #1
The Romans already had a version of them.
But things only got serious in 1726, when the Royal Navy
needed a place to handle it’s growing amount of paperwork.
They created a dedicated building which you can still find in
London today.
Where do
office
buildings
come from?
ORIGIN STORY #2
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
In the early 20th century, Taylorism saw this as a way
to maximise productivity for repetitive desk work.
It also made it easier for managers - often sitting on a raised
platform – to keep an eye on workers.
After all, when everyone sits in rows to do the same type of
work, talkers and slackers are easy to spot.
Why are
open plan
desks placed
in rows?
ORIGIN STORY #3
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
To be fair, its inventor, Robert Prost, had good intentions.
He wanted to give open plan workers some privacy and the
chance to personalise their workspace.
But then the corporate efficiency experts got carried away
and tried to put ever more people in the same space.
In Robert’s words, they turned his invention into “Barren,
rat-hole places”.
Which
‘genius’
created the
cubicle?
ORIGIN STORY #4
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
17th century traders and legal professionals occasionally
had a separate office. But for most of human history, work
happened at home.
Things only changed when the industrial revolution brought
factories and time-clocks. The tension between ‘work’ and
‘life’ became our new normal.
We adapted, though we still struggle to make it work.
Why do we
separate
work & life?
ORIGIN STORY #5
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
Do you want to update your
employee and/or office experience?.
Then let’s have a virtual coffee ☕.
I’ll gladly show how we reimagined a landmark London office
space and an int’l employee experience for the 2022 reality.
Perhaps it offers some inspiration.
www.alainthys.com
@alainthys
Subscribe at: http://newsletter.alainthys.com
www.customerfit.eu
@customerfit

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5 ancient orthodoxies that still shape the way we work today

  • 1. Slide for more … www.alainthys.com @alainthys Ancient habits that still shape work today Do you know where your work practices come from?
  • 2. Many of the work practices we take for granted date back centuries As we prepare for the next normal, we need to check if they still make sense. The first step in this process is to understand their origins. Here’s five to get you started. You can draw your own conclusions. www.alainthys.com @alainthys
  • 3. www.alainthys.com @alainthys Contrary to popular belief, the 8 hour work day is a lot older than the Industrial Revolution. It dates back to 1593, when Philip II of Spain wanted to ensure the ‘health and conservation’ of his workers. There were even provisions for some flex-work and dangerous professions. Thank you Spain! Where does the 8 hours work day come from? ORIGIN STORY #1
  • 4. The Romans already had a version of them. But things only got serious in 1726, when the Royal Navy needed a place to handle it’s growing amount of paperwork. They created a dedicated building which you can still find in London today. Where do office buildings come from? ORIGIN STORY #2 www.alainthys.com @alainthys
  • 5. In the early 20th century, Taylorism saw this as a way to maximise productivity for repetitive desk work. It also made it easier for managers - often sitting on a raised platform – to keep an eye on workers. After all, when everyone sits in rows to do the same type of work, talkers and slackers are easy to spot. Why are open plan desks placed in rows? ORIGIN STORY #3 www.alainthys.com @alainthys
  • 6. To be fair, its inventor, Robert Prost, had good intentions. He wanted to give open plan workers some privacy and the chance to personalise their workspace. But then the corporate efficiency experts got carried away and tried to put ever more people in the same space. In Robert’s words, they turned his invention into “Barren, rat-hole places”. Which ‘genius’ created the cubicle? ORIGIN STORY #4 www.alainthys.com @alainthys
  • 7. 17th century traders and legal professionals occasionally had a separate office. But for most of human history, work happened at home. Things only changed when the industrial revolution brought factories and time-clocks. The tension between ‘work’ and ‘life’ became our new normal. We adapted, though we still struggle to make it work. Why do we separate work & life? ORIGIN STORY #5 www.alainthys.com @alainthys
  • 8. Do you want to update your employee and/or office experience?. Then let’s have a virtual coffee ☕. I’ll gladly show how we reimagined a landmark London office space and an int’l employee experience for the 2022 reality. Perhaps it offers some inspiration. www.alainthys.com @alainthys Subscribe at: http://newsletter.alainthys.com www.customerfit.eu @customerfit