Propinquity: the state of being close to someone or something; proximity.

This week NYT opinion introduced us to a new word, “Propinquity”.

As coronavirus continues to cloud our crystal ball for the future of the office, the same arguments for these spaces still stand; social aspects, creativity, and productivity.

Socially, office have acted as some of the most important places in our lives. Karl Marx prolific in in writing about people becoming their jobs and assuming their work as their identity, (ex. “Hi, I am a Graphic Designer”). Statements and introductions like these show that work and career are on the front of our minds when we think of who we are and what constitutes our lives.

The argument for the office extends beyond one’s feeling of self into the relationships built while in the workplace. The concept of “work spouses” is actually a categorization of meaningful relationships that extend beyond the office. These friendships (and sometimes very real relationships) are at risk if all workers are relegated to home offices. Social queues from supervisors and subordinates face uncertainty as well in a remote world of email communication judged by volume and cadence. Some forecast an increase in anxiety from workers misjudging the frequency in emails recieved and responses in an already high stress time.

Ultimately though- the loss of the workplace means the loss of those spur of the moments that lead to innovation and the world’s next great idea. This article cites the invention of post-its as an example, the passive action of walking by a colleague’s desk and glancing at a sketch or a note and riffing off of that is lost in a world of zoom calls, unless of course it’s hanging on the wall behind them…