Which would you find emotionally easier:
having someone occupy your home while you are away for an extended period of time or having someone occupy your office?
This question assumes that you have an office that has been 'yours' for long enough for you to have settled in (quite) a bit. And it is more of a real choice if you don't hate your office (or home).
My answer is: home.
I love my house, but I don't mind having house-sitters, even ones I don't know. Preparing our house to be occupied by others is the only time we really clean it, and it's good to do that every once in a while. The prospect of making my office habitable for another human being is, however, more than I can imagine, so I'd rather not think about it (much less do it).
Since I cannot possibly imagine ever having my own office, I guess I'll abstain from voting here. Of course, I can't imagine actually having a house either, even a house to rent. But yes, responsible housesitters sounds bearable.
ReplyDeleteThere's a typo in the title, Professor.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather let them use my office. Big time! Home is primally my own territory. My name's on the deed. The office is mine... especially as I am on my own to furnish it. But the office is also not mine.
ReplyDeleteas someone currently on sabbatical, I didn't think twice about renting my home (to students, .... undergraduates!!! ) but when my chair suggested that I might have to possibly think about maybe possibly having to think about sharing my office, I started ranting and raving. At least I got out of that.
ReplyDeleteWV is procks. I am not sure if that reflects poorly on me and my post or not.
Definitely prefer someone else to use my office which I have had to do now and then.
ReplyDeletehome. definitely my home. I already share my home with another person (and two dogs and a cat), whereas I don't share my office with anyone else, so it feels much more invasive to have someone else stay in my office than in my home.
ReplyDeleteI'd say home as well... I've only been in my current job for 10 months so my office isn't as 'lived in' (read: cluttered with stacks of papers and books) as some, but I'd still find it hard to share. Home is already a shared space (my husband and daughter live there too). The office, on the other hand, is organized completely to my specifications. I don't think I'd want anyone messing with it.
ReplyDeleteBefore leaving on sabbatical this fall, I stuffed STUFFED my office full of household junk. The door barely opens. At least I don't have to worry about the dept giving my office away while I'm gone ...
ReplyDelete(I would find both emotionally difficult).
I totally feel the same way. But if someone needed to be in my office than it would also force me to clean it out. We have a rotating chair and a chairs office so we have a move every once in a while for that reason.
ReplyDeleteI don't hate my office, but I don't love it. In any case, I probably should find someone to stay in my condo for financial reasons as I go on a 6-month sabbatical, hopefully someone that I know and that doesn't mind me dropping by once in the middle.
ReplyDeleteAs for the office, my postdoc advisor let me use her office when she was on sabbatical I was teaching a summer course; at that point, I had no office in the appropriate city, since I was still a student in Boston and teaching in Montreal. I might let my student use my office while he is teaching my course next Winter, and that doesn't cause me any trouble. I did remove a bunch of crap from the office after the end of the term.
I'd rather have someone stay in my home than use my office. Like others have said, my office (desk, really, as I share my office with another grad student) is organized the way I want it, and it would annoy me to have another person move my books, papers, computers, etc., around. That being said, when I'm away on research trips, my officemate's girlfriend takes over my desk without asking. It drives me crazy, even though she doesn't move much other than to make room for her laptop.
ReplyDeleteSuppose they WON'T LEAVE when you come back. If it's a home, you could eventually call the cops. If it's the office, and the occupant won't budge, and they're buddies with the department chair, too bad!
ReplyDeleteInteresting responses. I wonder if it has to do with whether you were ever exposed to the idea of sharing your office in early career. When I was a postdoc, I had to make my office available to 1-2 visitors when I was gone for a while. I've also occupied other people's offices when I was the visitor, again maybe once or twice. So it doesn't seem so traumatic. I've also sublet my place in the past, and I have housesat in the past. So neither of these seem terribly awful to me.
ReplyDeleteI don't like sharing either, although I am sharing my office with someone. Renting or sharing home is absolutely no no. I didn't mind sharing office until now, but it's becoming a nuisanse resently with my collegues's student (first yeat undergrads) coming all day long to discuss various issues with hir.
ReplyDeleteI definitely do not want anyone else in my home, especially students, post-docs, or visiting professors. Tried it several times and came back to damaged floors, broken items, etc. Next tried professionals, but had problems with them also.
ReplyDeleteDuring our last sabbatical, husband and I set up a couple of webcams (one aimed at the house interior and the other at the back yard). Both cameras could be panned remotely (some of these camera systems even come with motion detectors that will send an email if something moves). We set up a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer so we could monitor the heating/ cooling system. Also put the lights on timers.
We were able to check on things over the internet any time of day. We left the keys and security info with a trusted neighbor (in case of an emergency).
Worked great. Being able to see that our house and yard were OK was reassuring.
I've not had anyone use my office during absences, but that would be less disagreeable.
Wow. I am absolutely amazed by these answers. An office more personal than a home? Perhaps it's because I've never had one all to myself yet (an office that is). But strangers in my house? Never!
ReplyDeleteI too am amazed by the comments. I generally trust the people using my space to not be snoopers. But seriously, it seems much more uncomfortable to have people in snooping proximity of very personal mementos/photos/artwork at home than it does to have them in snooping proximity of textbooks and file cabinets of papers in my office.
ReplyDeleteI've never had my own office, I've always had at least one officemate. so the thought of someone using my desk in my office isn't such a big thing, just an inconvenience (moving stuff so I can't find it) but not a personal violation or anything.
ReplyDeleteBut my home - no way! I do not want anyone camping out in my home who is not a close friend or family member of me or my husband (or their pets).
well a friend of mine can't stand his wife so he tries to spend as much time at work in his office as he can, only going home when he absolutely must. Thus his office is his "real home" and when there was a visiting professor on sabbatical who was assigned to share the office with him, my friend got extremely upset.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's something more practical: We get money for letting someone use our home but not from letting someone use our office.
ReplyDeleteThis could make the compromise easier in case of home...