INTRODUCTION

The office should be established at such a place where customers can

reach without any inconvenience. As far as possible, the central part of the
city is an ideal place for office location. As the success of any business
concern depends upon the location of its office, the Office Manger is
required to study the following:
1. Location of an office
2. Office Building
3. Office Layout
4. Office Environment
5. Office Furniture

I. LOCATION OF AN OFFICE

Where to Locate Office

a. Urban Location – includes towns, cities of a region. Even
areas of taluks and municipalities can be termed as urban
location.

 Advantages of Urban Location

1. Easy contact with others offices - It easy to
contact government and other offices in the same
area and therein developing business is possible.
The important offices include Income Tax Offices,
Sales Tax Office, and Corporation Office Registrar of
companies.
2. Increased image – The office can enhance its
image because it is in central area.
3. Easy access – It will be more convenient for the
customers to approach office without any difficulty.
4. Transport facilities – The office can avail of
transport facilities very easily. Loading, unloading of
luggages and dispatch of goods to various places
becomes easy at a comparatively cheaper rate.
5. Banking, post office and other facilities –
Normally, Banks, Postal and Telegraph department,
Insurance companies choose urban area for
providing letter services to customers. Hence these
facilities can be easily availed by offices located in
urban areas.
6. Recreational facilities – Recreational facilities are
mostly available in urban areas only.
 7. Other amenities – Amenities like water supply,
prompt communication, electricity, power, skilled
labourers are available more in urban area.
8. Employees preference – There is a general
tendency among the staff to prefer to work in a city.

 Disadvantages of Urban Location

1. Overcrowding and congestion – Urban centres
are over crowded and congested with all their bad
consequences.
2. Difficulty to expand business – Expansion
facilities are limited on account of increased rent,
unavailability of building in the nearby office.
3. Higher cost – Not only square feet rate is high in
cities, but also they have to pay more rent and more
taxes to corporations.
4. Demand for more pay – With higher cost of living,
the staff may demand higher wages resulting in
increased expenditure to the office.
5. Polluted atmosphere – Urban centres are always
known for their pollution and unhygienic
environment which would affect the health of
employees in the long run.

b. Sub-urban Location

 Advantages of Sub-urban Location

1. Payment of lower rent for the office occupied
2. Payment of lower HRA/CCA/DA to employees
3. Further expansion and modernization of office
possible
4. Less traffic and less over crowding
5. Proximity to transport routes

 Disadvantages of Sub-urban Location

1. Inadequate service facilities such as banks, post and
telegraph offices, railway stations, markets
2. Inadequate transport facilities –
airport/port/railways
3. Lack of communication facilities

FACTORS INFLUENCING LOCATION

 1. Convenience to customers – The office should be
located near roadside, station and bus stand.
2. Transportation facilities – Office should be located at
place where customers can easily commute.
3. Safety and climate – Office should be located at a place
which is quite safe, in other words, there should not be
any fear of theft, etc.
4. Postal, telegraphic and banking facilities – Office
should be located in a place where postal, telegraphic and
banking facilities are available.
5. Availability of sufficient space –The place selected for
locating office should have sufficient accommodation not
only for the present needs but also for future expansion
also.
6. Need of the business – The place selected for locating
office should be according to the need of business.

II. OFFICE BUILDING

Structure of Office Building

The structure of office building also affects the office
environment. If the office building restricts the entrance of
light, air, etc. then the office environment will not be healthy.

Advantages of own building

1. It represents a wise investment decision, especially, where
part of the building is rented on good terms.
2. It lends prestige to the organization and enhances its
credit worthiness besides improving its image in the eyes
of the customers.
3. As permanency is assured, the address need not be
changed again and again due to growing needs of the
business, since the design of own building takes care of the
future needs.
4. The building can be planned on the basis of present and
possible future needs.

Drawbacks of own building

1. Ownership of building also presents other problems to the
management, like payment of taxes and settlement of
disputes with tenants, if part of it is rented.
2. Own building may require huge investment which may not
be within the easy reach of small or medium-sized
business.
 3. High costs of maintenance may also prove too much for a
small or medium-sized business.

Advantages of leased bulding

1. Maintenance responsibility – The management is not
burdened with the responsibility of its maintenance. It also
becomes free from problems like payment of taxes and
settlement of disputes with tenants.
2. No investment decision responsibility – The managerial
decision about investment in building and its benefit and
monetary return has not to be taken. This saves the
management from possible bad judgement and its
consequences.
3. Ease in location change – Change in location of the
office can be affected with great ease. Whenever the office
location needs a change, another building in some other
better location can be taken on lease.

Limitations of leased building

1. High rents – Rents are generally very high for urban
locations
2. Wastage of space – Since the building is not constructed
on the basis of the layout plan of the organization, some
area may go waste in the process of layout.
3. Not need-based – Leased building is normally not
constructed on the basis of the needs of the lessee.
4. Frequent shift – Leased building does not lead to
permanence of address.

III. OFFICE LAYOUT

Checklist for accommodation requirements

1. Location
 Proximity to bus/railway station.
 Proximity to car park.
 Convenience for customers/clients.
 Convenience for staff.
 Proximity to banks/post office.
2. Site
 Size
 Grounds/gardens
 Space for car park
 Access for goods delivery
  Availability of services
3. Building
 Size
 Number of staff to be accommodated.
 Likely expansion of staff over the next three/five
years.
 Ground floor space required for heavy machinery,
computers etc.
 Weight carrying; capacity of the floors if large
quantities of records are to be kept or if it is
necessary to have machinery upstairs.
4. Physical factors
 Natural lighting required
 Heating
 Ventilation
 Decoration
 Noise

Principles of Layout
1. Work should flow continuously forward, as nearly as
possible in a straight line.
2. Departments that have similar functions or frequent
contact with each other should be located near one another
to reduce travel time.
3. Central service groups, such as stenographic pools, should
be conveniently located near the employees and
departments who use them.
4. Furniture and equipment should be arranged in a straight
line, with any angular placement of desks and chairs
reserved for supervisory personnel.
5. Space allowances should be adequate for work needs and
employee comfort.
6. Furniture and equipment of uniform size make for greater
flexibility and more uniform appearance.
7. All employees should face in the same direction, with
supervisors placed to the rear of work groups.
8. Desks should be arranged so that no employee is
compelled to face an objectionable light source.
Illumination should strike the employee’s work area from
above and slightly behind the employee.
 9. Units that utilize noisy equipment, such as data processing
or telex machines should be located in separate rooms to
avoid disturbing other work groups.
10. Work groups that have frequent contact with the public
should be located in an easily accessible place.
11. Large, Rectangular blocks of space facilitate work flow
and provide greater flexibility.
12. Departments in which work is necessarily untidy should
be kept away from public view.
13. Suitable light and air conditioning for all employees
should be provided.
14. Necessary private offices should be located where they
are least interfered.
15. Personnel and equipment needs, both present and future,
should be considered when determining space
requirements and layout.
16. Water fountains, bulletin boards, and vending machines
should be placed where they will cause the least
congestion or distraction.
17. Rest rooms and lounge areas should be conveniently
located.

Procedure for effective layout for the office

1. Office Manager should become familiar with general
organizational arrangements. This involves study of the
organization chart to determine reporting relationships
and it involves study of existing layout arrangements.
2. He should analyze the principal procedures and work
flows.
3. He should discuss with each supervisor or department
head their needs for space, the direction and plan of work
flow for all operations in the office.
4. The blue print referred should be prepared and a scale
drawing of the space under consideration should be
prepared, showing the location of such items as windows,
doors and columns.
5. A tentative plan of office layout should be presented by
arranging cut outs or models on the scale drawing or by
penciling in with a template the location of various items of
furniture and equipment. It may take a considerable
amount of ingenuity and time to arrange and rearrange the
layout till the best plan is found.
6. The proposed plan should be presented to those
supervisors and department heads concerned and solicit
their opinions and suggestions for improvements. The plan
should be rearranged the plan as necessary, to incorporate
 these suggestions. The final layout plan should be
presented and explained to the employees.
7. All items of furniture and equipments on the layout plan
should be identified.

Office Layout – Recent Trends

1. Landscaped offices
 Landscaped offices look pleasant and attractive.
 A landscaped office is an open office that the
arrangement of straight lines of desks divided by
straight gangways.
 Landscaped offices are well suited to the
requirements of technical specialists, management
information services, etc.
2. Movable partitions
 Used in establishing private offices.
 Movable partitions of ceiling, partial or counter
height made up of metal, wood, glass or plastic
materials are used to segregate private office areas.
 The movable partitions may be of varied types as
outlined below:
 Ceiling high partitions
 Half partitions up to the height of door
 Folding partitions up to the ceiling
 Counter high partitions that segregate general
office from the private office.
3. Modular units
 They occupy less floor space, enhance work
efficiency by eliminating unnecessary motions.
 The most popular type of modular desk id the L-
pattern desk unit with a flat surface.
 Modular desk units are composed of different
furniture units, writing table, machine desk, etc. that
are joined together to form a single unit.
Open Office and Private Office
a. Open Office – refers to a large room where all the
departments man and equipments are housed under a
single roof without partitions or walls separating them.

 Advantages of Open Office

1. Better space utilization is possible, because space
has not been lost by partitions.
2. The section heads or supervisors feel easy to watch
the office. It is also possible to reduce the number of
supervisors.
 3. The layout of the office can be altered or changed
without any expense.
4. There is more economy in arrangement of light.
5. Easy communication from department to
department is possible.

 Disadvantages of Open Office

1. Work will be affected by visitors and movement of
the staff themselves.
2. There will be internal noise, because of the
conversation in the office by staff themselves or
visitors.
3. Infections and disease may spread quickly.
4. A big hall may not be efficiently supervised.
5. The office will appear to be a crowd place.
6. Secrecy cannot be maintained.
7. Top executives may not feel comfortable in the open
office.

b. Private Office – are small rooms occupied by

departments.

 Advantages of Private Office

1. There is increase in efficiency on account of absence
of noise.
2. Confidentiality can be maintained as greater privacy
is possible.
3. It promotes personal atmosphere.
4. It adds value and prestige to the individuals.

 Disadvantages of Private Office

1. Lot space is wasted for partitions.
2. It affects the flow of work.
3. More supervisors are needed to watch the work
done in office. Thus supervision becomes more
separate offices.
4. It is more expensive to build separate offices.
5. There will be more expenses to provide adequate
light.
6. Cleaning of the office becomes a tedious work.
7. The office layout will be a complicated one.
8. More expensive furniture arrangement is needed
that the open office or general office.
9. Extra means of communication is needed for each
room.
 10. Assistants, messengers have to waste time to
see whether the concerned man is there or not in
the private room.

IV. OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

By office environment we mean “Working Environment”. The
environment, in which the office employee performs office services is
known as office environment. Office environment includes:
1. Working place
2. Working condition
3. Working hours
4. Working equipments
5. Training facilities
6. Incentive payment system etc.

Advantages of a good office environment to the employees

1. Ease in work
2. Simplicity in work
3. Improvement in mental and physical fitness

Advantages of a good office environment to the concern

1. Increase in production
2. Increase in profits
3. Increase in efficiency
4. Improvement in employee relations
5. Reduction in employees turnover
6. Reduction in employees absenteeism
7. Increase in the goodwill

Physical Conditions
A. Lighting
The most important physical conditions in the office is
lighting. The lighting should be suited to the requirements
of every individual office. The requirements vary according
to the size of the office, the height of the ceiling, the type of
work being performed there, the number of people in the
office, and the positions of desks, machines etc. The
following general principles are applicable to all offices.
1. The light must be sufficient for the work but not too
strong, otherwise glare will result.
2. There should be no dark shadows cast.
3. The lighting system should be efficient, i.e. the
required lighting should be given at the minimum cost.
4. The light fittings should be made sturdy and of good
appearance when both lit and unlit.
 5. It should be possible to vary the amount of light as
required.
6. The walls should be decorated in light shades in order
to gain the maximum light reflection.
7. Furniture with light finishes should be chosen, with the
desk tops having a similar finish to avoid too great a
contrast when papers are laid on them.
8. To avoid glare, light should be suitably shaded or
diffused so that an angle of at least forty five degrees is
created between the worker’s eyes and the lights.
9. Desks should have matt, not polished or glossy
surfaces, and glossy cards and paper should not be
used.

Good quality light

Good quality light is relatively free from glare and diffused
evenly about the seeing area. Brightness should be fairly uniform
rather than varying greatly from one portion of office to another.
Shadows have to be minimized, though it is not possible to
eliminate them in total.

Types of Glare
1. Direct glare – it is produced by a sharply contrasting light
source within the field of vision.
2. Reflected glare – it occurs when light strikes a bright or
polished surface.

Sources of light
1. Incandescent light are cheaper to install and maintain.
Incensed lights with tungsten filaments have been the main
source of light in most offices and homes until recently. As
they give less intense light and consume more electricity, they
are placed by fluorescent lighting.
2. Fluorescent light produce less glare and generate less heat.
They consume less electricity. Fluorescent tube light consists
of a translucent glass tube filled with fluorescent provider
that becomes activated.

Normal lighting
The office must try to use natural light or day light. Large
windows, adequate number of skylights, bright colouring of walls
and the ceiling may be used to get the maximum advantage of
natural light. Provisions should be made to prevent direct
sunlight falling upon the surface. Light should come from behind
the left shoulder of an employee. Natural lighting is not only
economical but also healthy.
Artificial lighting
The cost of installation and maintenance of artificial light
is high. The natural light may be supplemented with the artificial
light is high. The natural light may be supplemented with the
artificial light. Artificial lighting is used where the rooms do not
allow natural light to penetrate in adequate quantity. However,
artificial lighting is not healthy and strains the eyes of
employees.

Types of Artificial Lighting

1. Direct lighting – the light is focused on the object of work or
table with the assistance of an opaque shade which directs all
the light downwards. It enhances the intensity of light.
2. Semi-direct – the light source is fitted with transparent or
translucent shade. The advantage of this lighting is that hard
shadows and glare are eliminated.
3. Indirect lighting – it is suitable for general illumination of
rooms, corridors etc., but not suitable for clerical work.
4. Semi-indirect – this type combines some of the advantages
of direct and indirect lighting. This type of lighting a
transparent or translucent shade is used instead of an opaque
shade.
5. General – the light rays are equally distributed in all
directions.

Benefits of good lighting

1. Increased output – A change from poor lighting conditions
to good is almost certain to result in some increase in the rate
of work output.
2. Better quality of work – The quality of work in an office can
be improved appreciably by bringing light up to accepted
standards. When light is not good, errors are more frequent
due to eye strain or fatigue.
3. Reduction of fatigue – Working in the office under poor
light fir prolonged periods causes eyestrain and may cause
eyesight defects to develop or to be aggrevated.
4. Better employee morale – Good lighting and good use of
colour will do much towards creating pleasant work
atmosphere which improves the morale of the office
employees.

B. Ventilation
 Ventilation refers to supply of free air at the right
temperature and of right humidity.
  Ventilation is one of the most common office
problems; draughts can cause more strong feeling
than any other aspect of the environment.
 The requirements of good ventilation are that there
should be a constant flow of fresh air to remove
staleness without causing draught.

C. Colour Conditioning
 Colours convey feelings.
 Different colour combinations not only add to the
appearance of a room, but also has a psychological
effect on the people who are working in it.
 Bright and cheerful colours have a cheering effect on
them resulting in more and better work.
 Soft, cool colours are the most suitable for offices
 Colour can also be used to provide some degree of
individuality; each section, department or entire floor
of an office can be given its own colour scheme.

D. Air-Conditioning
 Air-conditioning is usually the most suitable form of
ventilation.
 It contributes to mental activity and boost the
efficiency of employees.
 It is a costly system, but it eliminates the problems of
cleanliness, heat, ventilation, humidity and noise, etc.
 Air-conditioning system controls the circulation,
temperature and humidity of air and removes foreign
substances of an enclosed area.
 The great benefit of air-conditioning is that it keeps
the temperature at a uniform level all throughout the
year.
 Air-conditioning systems fall into two categories –
package and central. Central systems serve the
entire building while Package units are commonly
used in small offices.
 Air-conditioning offers the following advantages:
1. It helps to protect the product or equipment in the
plan.
2. It helps safeguard their health.
3. It helps to keep production costs low.
4. It helps maintain employees’ efficiency.

E. Reduction of Noise
Noise affects the efficiency of the average office worker.
Clerks may be unconscious of the noise, but they cannot get
 away from its effects. Noise may be either internal or
external depending upon the area from which it is
generated.

Internal noise created by:

1. Movements of machines.
2. Movements and conversation of clerks, peons, visitors,
etc.
3. Cracking doors.
4. Calling bells, telephone bells.
5. Shifting of furniture from one place to another.

External noise is created by:

1. Street sound
2. Noise from moving vehicles
3. Noise due to the opening and closing of doors and
windows.

Control of noise
1. Office can be located in a quiet place.
2. Sound absorbing materials for office floors, ceiling and
walls can be used.
3. Doors can be fitted with door closers and rubber lining
or with hydraulic controls.
4. From the main office, telephone switch boards should
be housed far away.

F. Cleanliness
It is the office manager’s task to see that the offices are
kept clean, the cleaners employed are properly supervised
and that they are provided with adequate equipment.

G. Safety Provisions
1. Sanitary requirements
2. Over-crowding
3. Drinking water
4. Spittoons
5. Toilets
6. Canteen
7. Rest rooms

The Office Manager should make safety provision in the

office. The reason is that employees can meet with
accidents and injure themselves. Most of the accidents in
the office occur due to:
1. Slipping or falling
 2. Collision obstructions
3. Handling of equipments
4. Fire
5. Bad light fittings

Fire Precautions
1. Fire exits should be marked clearly.
2. All members of staff should be informed individually on
how to find the nearest fire exit in the event of a fire
alarm.
3. The fire alarm should be tested regularly.
4. Adequate fire extinguishers should be installed.
5. Staff should be trained to use fire extinguishers.
6. Fire extinguishers should be inspected regularly to
ensure that they are in proper working order.
7. Each member of staff should be provided individually
with a carefully prepared procedure sheet explaining
what to do in the event of a fire.
8. The telephone operator should be aware of the
procedure in case of fire.
9. Fire drills should be held regularly.
10. An automatic fire alarm system should be installed.
11. Ash trays should be provided to avoid placing
lighted cigarette stumps in waste paper baskets.
12. The main electric switch in the building should be
switched off when the offices are not occupied.
13. Flammable materials should not be left in the sun.
14. A fire prevention code should be issued to all staff
incorporating items such as switching off all machines
at night and unplugging them from the power points;
ensuring that all heaters /fires are switched off.

V. OFFICE FURNITURE
There are four main criteria in choosing office furniture.
1. Is it functional?
2. Is it attractive?
3. Is it hard wearing?
4. Is its cost within the budget?

Factors to be considered when buying office furniture

1. Design – Size of top, height, number of drawers, suitability
for the purpose, etc.
2. Saving in space – Some furniture is specially designed to
save floor space.
3. Appearance – Attractive but workmanlike; prestige may be a
factor if the furniture is to be in an area/office open to the
public.
4. Comfort of the office worker – A high level of comfort
means that more work is likely to be performed with less
distraction.
5. Capital outlay – An obvious factor when buying any
equipment.
6. Durability – Metal and fiberglass are virtually indestructible.
7. Fire risk – Metal and fiberglass are much less flammable than
wood.
8. Weight – If furniture has to be moved around, as it often done
in a large office, light weight is preferable and fiberglass is
very suitable.
9. Hygiene – The piece of furniture has to be cleaned easily and
there should be plenty of space underneath for cleaning the
floor.
10. Safety – Rounded corners avoid the constant bruising
caused by square corners when space is limited; glass plates
may not be safe in use.

Desk Materials
Desks are made in various types of material. The three
most commonly used are wood, metal and fiberglass, each of
which has its advantages and disadvantages.
1. Wood is attractive but maybe heavy, easily scratched, and not
fire resistant.
2. Metal is hard wearing, fire resistant, but cold and can get
chipped unless anodized metal is used.
3. Laminated plastic/fiberglass is hard wearing, light in
weight, and fire resistant, but some types may scratch easily.

Type of Desk
1. Executive desks – thus type depends on the taste of the
executive, and is made with appearance very much in mind.
2. Special purpose furniture – Furniture designed for special
use in offices includes typists’ desks, computer desks, copier
machine desks, and so on.
3. Built-in furniture – Maximum utilization of floor space may
be obtained by the use of built-in furniture. Furniture should
be hygienic as well as functional; permanent fixtures can be
tailored to fit in wall recesses so that there is no possibility of
dirt lodging anywhere, and flush fitting and outside surfaces
can easily be cleaned and maintained.
4. General clerical desks – Ideally the size and design of a
desk should be suitable for the work to be performed on it.
5. Modular desks – This type of furniture provides greater desk
area and occupies minimum floor space. It costs less per
square foot of working area.

Concept of 5S and Office Management

5S, is the philosophy of the Japanese Housekeeping and
productivity tool. It focuses on effective work place organization,
simplifies work environment, reduces waste while improving
quality and safety.

Meaning of 5S
1. Seiri (Sorting Out) – Seiri fights the habit to keep things
because they may be useful someday. Seiri helps work area
tidy, improves searching and fetching efficiency, and
generally clears much space. Seiri is also excellent way to
gain valuable floor space and eliminate old broken tools,
obsolete jigs and fixtures; scrap and excess raw material.
2. Seiton (Systematic Arrangement) – Effective Seiton can be
achieved by painting floors to visualize the dirt, outlining
work areas and locations, shadow tool boards.
3. Seiso (Spic and Span) – Cleanliness is also helpful to notice
damages on equipment such as leaks, breakage and
misalignment. These minor damages, if left unattended, could
lead to equipment failure and loss of production.
4. Seiketsu (Standardizing) – Once the first three S have been
implemented, it should set as a standard so to keep these
good practice work area. Without it, the situation will
deteriorate right back to old habits. Have an easy follow
standard and develop a structure to support it. Allow
employees to join the development of such standards.
Seiketsu helps to turn it into natural, standard behavior.
5. Shitsuke (Self-discipline) – Finally, to keep first 4S alive, it
is necessary to educate people to maintain standards. By
setting up a formal system, with display of results, follow-up,
the now complete 5S get insured to live, and be expanded
beyond their initial limits, in an ongoing improvement way;
the Kaizen way.
Kaizen – It is a Japanese word constructed from two
ideographs, the first of which represents change and the
second goodness or virtue. Kaizen is commonly used to
indicate the long-tem betterment of something or someone as
in the phrase Seiketsu or kaizen suru which means to “better
one’s life”.

Benefits of the 5S System

1. Improved quality
2. Achieve work standardization
3. Decreased changeover time
4. Improved safety
5. Reduced storage costs
6. Reduced cycle time
7. Reduced machine down time
8. Boost employee morale as well as work environment
9. Helps to quickly identify the root cause of a problem.
10. Helps to determine the relationship between different root
causes of a problem.
11. Can be learned quickly does not require statistical
analysis to be used.

Cost saving
1. 5S reduces the wastages of tools and materials.
2. It cuts down time spent for ordering and saves time for
productive works; 5S is also time keeper.
3. It can be reduced production time and prevent late delivery.
4. It contributes positively to safety.
5. It establishes spacious, comfortable and visually excellent
work place.
6. It requires faithful compliance to ruling.
7. Passage ways are clearly defined, preventing disorderliness of
flow.

Standardization
1. It requires everyone to follow procedure ruling to execute his
duty.
2. It makes procedure clear.
3. 5S standardization stabilizes process work, quality and cost.
4. It promotes work satisfaction and work moral.
5. It provides a clean, bright work environment.