Re: Do Technical Writers Deserve Their Own Office?

["Hillary M. Russak" <hrussak -at- SLAC -dot- STANFORD -dot- EDU>]

<thread snipped>

This conversation is making me wonder if I'd have an office of my own
should I choose to move-on from my current position.

I don't consider a private office a luxury at all; it's more like a
necessity here.  I work with two other writers in the Environment, Safety,
and Health division of the DOE/Stanford University collaborative high
energy physics laboratory (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center).  Each
writer has a small private office. (Note that the site has writers in other
divisions as well.  I don't speak for their office set-up.)

Since I'm not working within the computer industry, there are no
"developers" to collaborate with.  My equivalent is a huge variety of
science and environmental protection subject matter experts.  Most of them
are Environmental Engineers, Chemists, Regulatory Specialists, and Safety
Engineers.

My building doesn't seem like it was originally intended to hold office
space, although half the building has a catacomb of badly-partitioned
offices. Working in the "bull-pen" would expose me to some nasty chemical
and electrical hazards, plus even more of the not-so-white HVAC noise and
exhaust that I'm already trying to keep out (while still keeping my door
open to authors, experts, and fellow writers).

A private office is critical to my work and it makes less sense to share
the space, since my experts and authors are spread-out across the entire
site.  In addition to wanting the quiet for my work, I need a place where
experts and authors can visit me to discuss documentation projects.  Some
of them don't have private office space where we can quietly meet (they
work in laboratory settings). Additionally, I spend quite a bit of time
consulting with my contacts by phone.  I think this would disturb an office
mate.

I understand that the original post of this topic was coming from a writer
in the computer industry, but technical writers inhabit many places, each
with its own unique office environments.

I guess what I'm learning from this thread is that having private office
space depends on how practical it is within your specific industry or
position.

I can see where I might need a private office less elsewhere, but I also
think it might be a difficult transition.
-hil
---------------------------
Hillary M. Russak
Technical Writer
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(650) 926-3193
Pager (650)849-9483
hrussak -at- slac -dot- stanford -dot- edu