From monasteries to microchips: A short history of the office Posted MonMonday 14 Professionals began to work from offices in Amsterdam, London and Paris in the 1600s. ( Share Print text only Cancel For centuries people have been getting up, joining a daily commute or retreating to a room, to work. The office has become inseparable from work. Its history illustrates not only how our work has changed but also how work's physical spaces respond to cultural, technological and social forces. The origins of the modern office lie with large-scale organisations such as governments, trading companies and religious orders that required written records or documentation.