Where is place in the history of work? Worksites, workspaces, and the home-work nexus

The location of work is a topic of renewed scholarly and public interest, particularly spurred by the recent increase in working from home. Research in several social sciences demonstrates that work locations and workspaces have a significant impact on workers’ lives. Historians concur that in the long term, spatial changes in work have profound effects. It is therefore curious that beyond a limited set of examples, worksites and workspaces have received minimal sustained attention from economic historians. Here we survey the existing research and suggest ways forward. We begin by proposing a set of terms to distinguish between worksites, which are the geographical places of work, and workspaces, the immediate physical surroundings in which work occurs. We then survey recent research on changing worksites, the impacts of travel-to-work patterns on quality of life, and the effects of workspace arrangements. These literatures emphasize the multi-faceted consequences of location and space. Turning to historical research, we highlight three workplace-related topics that have attracted significant interest from historians: the history of commuting; the transition from home-based work to factories; and the locations of women’s work. These strands of research imply a U-shaped curve of working from home over time, but we note that quantitative investigations to support these observations are generally lacking. Inspired by current explorations of workplace change, we suggest new directions for historical research and conclude that there is a rich landscape of work-related research awaiting rigorous historical investigation.