Living at the Office
There are hundreds of Internet photos of people sleeping at work. Some are just nodding off. Others have a pillow, blanket, eye shades or headphones. For those serious about "taking a Costanza," there’s a nap desk that converts into a bed. Yahoo! co-founder David Filo slept under his desk even after he was a billionaire.
But this post isn’t about people who doze at work because they are workaholics, are on deadlines, sleep deprived, don’t see the difference between sleeping on a bed versus sleeping on the floor, or just need a "power nap."
This is about a growing trend — people who live at work 24/7. Usually their friends, families or co-workers have no idea where they call "home." Apparently there are more workers spending the night in the office than you might think. In 2013, a California man boasted of living in his "office" for 500 days. (Actually, it was a ten-foot-square workspace.)
"I’m not your average homeless person," wrote the office hobo. "To many, I look like the typical middle-class young professional — clean-cut, well spoken, well dressed, hygenic."
But don’t call him "homeless." He prefers to think of himself as "home-free."
Why would someone choose to sleep on an air mattress under a desk, shower at a gym or YMCA and dine at street vendors? Money. A man who began living in the office to get over a temporary personal financial crisis found a new lifestyle and claims to have saved $20,000 in rent by doing so.
His daily routine went something like this.
Every morning I’d neatly pack away my personal belongings, turning the lights back on and lowering the air conditioning to its too-chilly-for-me 72 degrees—the way they always left it overnight. I‘d leave for a morning workout and shower, simultaneously keeping clean and in shape while ensuring I wasn’t always the first to arrive. Occasionally I’d even make myself late to work, blaming the awful L.A. traffic. Just to fit in.
Dodging co-workers who happen to drop by the office on a weekend is a minor problem compared to someone who wants a social life. If you live under your desk, it’s a big problem if a friend asks, "Why don’t we go back to your place?"
Whether living in an office is legal doesn’t seem to be important to those willing to do it. Responses on Quora.com to a question about the challenges of living in rented office space offers some suggestions about essentials such as building access, sleeping without people noticing, security cameras, storage of personal items and clean air.
New York Real Estate Consultant Bruce Feldman posted this warning for those considering the office-life style.
The biggest challenge of living in a commercial office building is that you could also die there.
Commercial buildings are simply not designed for residential use. Occupancy and fire codes are such that a person residing in an office building will be in serious jeopardy of their health and safety, especially at night. This is the main reason why it’s illegal to reside in a commercial building. Don’t do it unless the building has an occupancy permit marked "Live/Work." Such a building will be safe to occupy as a residence.
To learn more, read:
"I live in my office" LA Weekly
"I secretly lived in my office for 500 days" Salon
"Living at the office is a thing now" The Billfold
"Thirteen months of working, eating and sleeping at the Googleplex" Bloomberg Business
"What are the challenges of living in rented office space in San Francisco? Quora
