MAIS 601: Critical Reflection & Questions

“On Friday Night Drinks: Workplace Affects in the Age of the Cubicle” introduces the reader to the character Claire from Six Feet Under; Claire makes the jump from art school dropout to temp. worker in an office, and this instantly reminds me of Pam from the U.S. version of the television series, The Office. Pam’s character also longs to be an artist but becomes a receptionist for a paper company instead. Although Pam doesn’t lose herself the way Claire does (Pam eventually finds her way), the day-to-day drudgery of working in an office is illustrated in both series and showcases the antics people will go to, to escape the monotony of “white collar work” (Gregg, 2010, p. 251).

This article brings up important issues facing employees; that is how to escape the drudgery of an office life that is supposed to be the epitome of making it. One can argue this type of work is what everyone strives for because of the privilege it offers; it is typically a low-stake environment that offers flexibility and much more to its employees. Work has changed dramatically in the last fifteen to twenty years with the advent of multi-level marketing (MLM) and social media ‘influencers and these new types of work have allowed people to revamp what work means to them; although it appears to ‘fit’ into the life they’re desperate for, these forms of work can blur boundaries leading to increased stress. Gregg (2010) calls these different forms of work precarious and states it prevents people from attaining what they’re told they can achieve; it perpetuates the inequities people already experience in ‘normal’ work and blurs the lines of work further. This is the reality for many marginalized groups of people – work hasn’t necessarily changed for everyone, but the changes deeply impact marginalized groups more because of the precarious nature of their work.

The “white collar work” that is sold as the hallmark to living an enviable life is plagued with its own problems that is inherently reliant on those problems for its survival (Gregg, 2010, p. 251). Gregg (2010) refers to tiny micro-catastrophes that add up over the career of an employee and how this acts as a catalyst for employees. I’ve witnessed this firsthand in my organization with long-tenured employees; the way they used to work to accomplish their job has changed dramatically and over time the ability to “get, lose and keep their bearing in the context of the office” is no more (Gregg, 2010, p. 252). Gregg (2010) claims the skills needed to be successful today are vastly different from twenty years ago; flexibility and dealing with change are the hallmarks of how to succeed in today’s job market. Gregg (2010) points to Alan Lui’s (2004) work on this topic when she comments that employees stake their authority on an even more precarious knowledge that has to be re-earned with every new technological change, business cycle or downsizing. Gregg (2010) argues that a more integrated and encompassing movement is needed to confront the isolating working conditions of the present.

Questions for Consideration:

1.     Have you experienced workplace affects in the context of an office setting like Claire from Six Feet Under or Pam from The Office? If so, what were some of the ways you were able to escape monotony and isolation? Perhaps your experience wasn’t like Claire or Pam’s, can you provide some insight into your own experience?

2.     The definition of work and what it looks like has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. Aside from technology, what do you think has led to these changes and how will they impact work in the future? Do you think these changes are positive or negative and why?

References:

Gregg, Melissa. “On Friday Night Drinks: Workplace Affects in the Age of the Cubicle.” The affect theory reader, Duke University Press, 2010, pp. 250-267.