Les dimensions cachées du travail en open space : le cas de téléconseillers en centres d'appels

The expansion of the service sector and the development of methods of organisation designed to foster transversal communication has also entailed a remodelling of the workplace. In the last two decades, open plan offices have emerged as the standard spatial layout of the workspace. In this article, we explore occupancy modes and working practices in open plan call centres where agents work together at shared desks. The aim is to go beyond the dominant social science approach, which emphasises work on space, in order to develop an analysis of (service) work in and with space. In this approach, we show that the establishment of meanings and margins of autonomy not only reflects new ways of occupying a functional space, but also a process of layering between spaces of different kinds: practical, symbolic and social.