Definition of Office
An office is a crucial and an essential part of every organization, large or small. Whether it is a
government institution, trading or manufacturing organization, a hospital or an educational
institution, the existence of an office is vital for the appropriate functioning of any kind of
organization. The office acts as a storehouse and a nervous system of every operation within a
business organization.
In common parlance, an office is understood to be a place where clerical work is performed and
where all kinds of paperwork (letters, correspondence, files, records, etc.), is maintained and
dealt with. It is “a central place where all sorts of clerical work is done to coordinate and control
the affairs of the whole organization (Chopra and Gauri, 2010: 10)” or it can be stated that it is a
place where professional and commercial transactions are implemented, or it is, a place where all
sorts of activities within the organization are dealt with (Upadhyay, Ladhe, Rai, Bhatkar &
Upadhyay, 2015). Within an organization, there are various kinds of departments such as
financial, production, clerical, technical, personnel, managerial, manufacturing, advertising and
marketing, sales, training and so forth. The activities and functions of all the departments are
implemented in places that are termed as offices. In educational institutions also, there are
various kinds of clerical and technical jobs that are implemented by the office workers, hence,
office is stated to be an integral part of any organization or an institution.
The modern approach to the study of the term Office is to view it as a function rather than a
particular place. When an Office is regarded as a function, “it can plan, organize, coordinate,
standardize and supervise paperwork, wherever it is done and whosoever does it: (Chopra &
Gauri, 2015: 13).” But if it is viewed as a certain place only, the “paperwork” done outside the
boundaries of that place called the Office would not be under its control. The Office Manager in
such a case is responsible only for the paperwork falling within his own department. For
instance, minutes of board meetings, financial records, sales and purchase records, are all
integral parts of the operation of a business and must be planned, organized and controlled to
ensure an effective administration of the business enterprise (Kapur, 2020).
According to Leffingwell and Robinson, “the essential feature of the office is the work itself, not
who does it or where it is done. If it is office or clerical work in one place, it is office or clerical
work everywhere regardless of where the work is done or who does it.” In the words of Charles
O. Libbey: “The office is not in one place; no matter how much we centralize its services, there
will still be office work at the point of use. Some enterprises are almost all Office. The activities
of the Office do not, strictly speaking, constitute a function; they are parts of all functions.” To
conclude, it may be said that an “office” refers to the functions performed by a certain set of
persons rather than the place, where clerical work is done; and the act of collecting, processing,
storing and distributing information comprise the functions of an office.
THE PURPOSE OF AN OFFICE
The purpose of an Office is mainly to provide the services of communication and of record.
Office is, in fact, a processing medium. In addition, it is responsible for directing and
coordinating the various activities of the organization. It is like the brain in a human body and
the mainspring in a watch. It is the central directing force. The main purposes of an office are: (i)
To direct and coordinate the activities of the various departments; (ii) To plan the policies of the
business and ensure their implementation; (iii) To preserve all the records of the business; (iv)
To handle inward correspondence; and (v) To maintain accounts, statutory and non-statutory
books, etc., of the business.
Importance of Office
An office is an important and indispensable part of every organization, big or small. Be it a
government institution, trading or manufacturing organization, a hospital or an educational
institution, an office is vital for its functioning. The office acts as a storehouse and nervous
system of every operation of a business concern. A well managed Office is an indispensable aid
to management. It helps the management to plan its operations intelligently and to put them in
action competently. The office coordinates all the activities of the business. Without an efficient
and organized Office, business activities cannot be carried through systematically. “The
importance of the office to a business enterprise arises from the fact that a modern business, with
its varied and complicated operations, cannot be managed efficiently without clerical assistance
in some form or the other.” In fact, ‘competent clerical service is a precondition for the efficient
conduct of business affairs’. It has been rightly said that “the office is to a business what the
mainspring is to a watch”.10 Maynard11 has outlined the importance of the office in the
following manner: (i) The Office is the locus of company policy — the place in which it is
formed and from where it is executed (ii) The Office is the information hub of the company. It is
the intelligence centre for the coordination of vital activities. Here is “memory” — on papers,
cards, tapes and microfilm; in letters, reports, files and ledgers. Here is calculating and data
processability. (iii) The Office is the company’s intermediary with customers, vendors and others
outside the organization. It bills, collects, pays and corresponds. (iv) The Office is an overseer of
the office furniture, machines and supplies for all or most of the firm — buying, leasing,
maintaining and replacing them. (v) The Office is the centre of the personnel function, supplying
people for the workforce and setting standards of performance and compensation. (vi) The Office
is the provider of other special services — offering to all divisions, in one way or another,
methods, analyses, internal communication systems, copying and duplicating facilities, mass-
feeding facilities, environmental controls, and much more.
