About the Office

UNIT 1 ABOUT THE OFFICE

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Meaning of Office
1.3 Office Layout
1.4 Office Location
1.5 Office Procedures
1.6 Role of A Company Office
1.7 Equipments & Skills Used in Offices
1.7.1 Equipments Used in Offices
1.7.2 Skills Used in Offices
1.8 Types of Offices
1.9 Let Us Sum Up
1.10 Keywords
1.11 Terminal Questions

1.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you should be able to;

● understand the meaning of office;

● know about office layout and its various objectives;
● list the factors affecting office location;
● know about office procedures and their importance;
● understand the role of a company office;
● list the various skills and equipments needed in the office; and
● understand the different types of offices.

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Complexities of business are increasing day by day. In the earlier times,
products were usually made of locally available raw materials and served to
the local market only. But advances in science, technology, industrialization,
transport, communication, etc. have reformulated the concept view of the
office. Now offices are developed on scientific principle and their
management and administration are in the hands of qualified and trained
managerial personnel.
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Introduction to Office There is no secret that office environments are changing very fast over the
last few decades. Office cultures are in constant flux; with a growing interest
in collaboration and teamwork. Many corporations are opting for a flatter
corporate structure. Companies are knocking down walls and installing
treadmill desks, collaboration rooms, and nap spaces. It is not to deny the
open office environment is becoming more prevalent and appears to be here
to stay, at least for now. In many ways, this new environment offers a
plethora of positive outcomes, such as a higher level of interaction and
transparency, more willingness to collaborate, higher level of trust and
accountability. However, this big change can come with a host of negative
consequences as well, namely, employees not adjusting properly to their new
surroundings.

1.2 MEANING OF OFFICE

The English word "Office" first came into light in 1395, which alluded to a
"place where business is executed", however, the word has more established
roots. Office word is taken from the Latin word Officium, which didn't
guarantee to allude to a particular spot but instead a department in the feeling
of staff, or on the other hand, the more theoretical significance of formal
position. In layman’s terms, an office is a workplace where people are
engaged in an assigned task in a hierarchical manner for the fulfillment of the
organization’s common objectives and goals. It is basically an information
processing unit facilitating the responsible authorities taking sound decisions
for achieving the organization’s goals. An office is a space where an
association's representatives perform administrative work to help and
acknowledge the items and objectives of the association. "Office" may
likewise indicate a situation inside an association with explicit obligations
joined to it; the last option is as a matter of fact a prior utilization, office as
spot initially alluding to the area of one's an obligation. Whenever utilized as
a descriptor, the expression "office" may allude to business-related
assignments.

In modern terms, an office is usually the location where white-collar workers

carry out their functions. As indicated by James Stephenson, "Office is that
part of the business undertaking which is dedicated to the heading and co-
ordination of its different exercises." The size of an office ranges from a little
office the seat toward the edge of a small business of minuscule size, through
whole floors of structures, up to and including enormous structures devoted
completely to one organization. Both the structure and shape of offices are
impacted by the top management. Office management involves the planning,
design, and implementation of work in an organization and its offices. This
includes creating a focused work environment and guiding and coordinating
the activities of office personnel.

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 About the Office
1.3 OFFICE LAYOUT
Office layout means the systematic arrangement of office equipment,
machines, and furniture and providing adequate space to office personnel for
regular performance of work with efficiency. In simpler words, it is the
blueprint of the office floor, and hence, also called the office floor plan.
While taking decisions about office layout the onus lies on the office
manager. An office manager should make sure the proper allocation of space
to each section and interlink them with other sections. Faulty or improper
arrangements lead to unnecessary wastage of time and energy and thus lead
to an increase in the cost of office operations. A standard office layout should
ensure proper allocation of floor space, easy supervision, no waste of time
and energy of office personnel, efficiency to staff, and better use of office
resources and equipment. Office layout can be divided into two major
categories: Process Layout and Group Layout. In the process layout, both the
machines and employees are arranged in sequence of the activities to be
carried out. Whereas, in a group layout, employees are placed in a separate
place where similar activities are carried out. Whereas the machines are
placed in the other sections. By keeping all these in mind the main objectives
of office layout are:

● To ensure effective use of the available floor space;

● To facilitate managers with better supervision and control of their
workforce;
● To ensure steady and effective workflow;
● To ensure a wholesome environment for the workforce;
● To facilitate inter-communication between various departments as and
when needed; and
● To include provisions for future expansion of the company etc.

1.4 OFFICE LOCATION

Office location means the place or site where the office organization is
situated. Deciding about the business location is one of the most crucial tasks,
as it largely affects employees’ job satisfaction and work-life balance. An
organization’s present and future plans must be taken into consideration
while deciding about the location. The location could be one where the entire
company can be served efficiently at an economical cost. Various factors
which must be taken into consideration while making the decision about the
office location are listed below:

1. Availability of sufficient space: Sufficient accommodation and

facilities should be there in an office to meet present requirements to
future expansions. The office should have sufficient accommodation and
facilities, rooms and storage space, etc.
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Introduction to Office 2. Proximity to other departments: The office should ensure appropriate
proximity to other departments and must be located in a central place to
be easily accessible to other sections or departments.

3. Availability of transport facilities: An office should have a proximity

to transport facilities, providing convenience to office workers and other
outsiders dealing with it.

4. Service facilities: Besides transport, the office location should have

proximity to other linked facilities as well such as banking, postal,
internet, telephone. insurance etc.

5. Healthy environment: The office surroundings should be free from

dust, noise, congestion, obnoxious smell, and fumes as these factors may
lead to reducing the work efficiency of office employees.

1.5 OFFICE PROCEDURES

Office procedures are the set of standards for the staff working in an office. It
is often a set of rules or policies guiding the operations of an office or small
business. An office procedure basically is an organization’s formal process to
collect necessary information for effective and efficient decision-making.
Having stringent and clearly defined office procedures helps in creating a
uniform way of doing things which leads to consistency, efficiency, and
professionalism within the office environment. It can also help employees to
better understand the job description and focus on priority tasks. Office
procedures often fall in line with company policies. The office can be
presented to the employees in any way; they can either be put on bulletin
boards or can be distributed in office manuals or any other way desired by the
company. For example, an office procedure can mandate employees’ actions
while at work (i.e., no personal phone calls, checking voicemail in the
mornings, no unnecessary conversations with clients). They can also include
the handling of office equipment such as reloading empty copy machines and
refilling staplers. The importance of office procedures is discussed below:

1. Ensures efficiency in the workplace;

2. Allows for effective training for new staff;
3. Enhances performances of old staff;
4. Facilitates the better flow of work in the office and between departments;
5. Ensures, consistency, and professionalism of an office task;
6. Instills discipline in an organization;
7. Reduces the general cost of operations; and
8. Reduces chances of errors and fraud.

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 About the Office
Check Your Progress A:

1. What do you understand by the term Office?

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2. “Deciding about the business location is one of the most crucial tasks.”
Comment.
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3. Differentiate between Process layout and Group layout.
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4. “An organization’s present and future plans must be taken into
consideration while deciding about the location.” Comment.
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1.6 ROLE OF A COMPANY OFFICE

The main functions of offices are decision-making and providing
information. Decision-making involves executing managerial functions such
as planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, controlling, motivating,
innovating, and integrating and providing information and other services to
company departments and units, customers, suppliers, investors, employers
and regulating authorities. In any organization an office has two different
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Introduction to Office roles, those are; a Contributory role and a vigilant role. These roles are
dependent on the function being performed as discussed below:

1. Office work in a contributory role, when it;

● Assist sub-units to regulate the business activities in the light of

external situation changes;
● Receive information from internal and external units;
● Transmit decisions, views, and comments to other linked units;
● Maintain records and other important historical information;
● Provide professional services in ancillary activities such as selecting
and hiring, maintaining personnel records, providing legal advice,
corresponding with external units, training, designing systems etc.
2. Office work in a Vigilant role, when it;
• Assist in maintaining discipline;
• See that employees adhere to rules and regulations;
• Is responsible for budgetary control, etc.

1.7 EQUIPMENTS & SKILLS USED IN OFFICES

One needs to have a set of specific skills and certain types of equipment for
working in an office. The skills and equipment may vary slightly depending
upon the type of office but overall, they are quite the same.

1.7.1 Equipments Used in Offices

1. Paper-Related Equipment: Certain office equipment are vital for the
paper aspects of the business. Examples include photocopy machines for
making copies of documents, printers for printing documents and emails
required for the purpose of documentation or shredders for disposing off
sensitive materials which are no longer required.

2. Computers: Nowadays computers have become the most important

equipment in the office. They are used for mailing, creating documents,
scanning or data entry depending upon the type of office.

3. Internet: A good speed internet connection is must for any office, it

contributes to the completion of daily tasks. Without a sound internet
connection, the office’s procedures will be hindered or delayed, which
will lead to inefficiency while completing a task and thus will hamper
the sharing of internal or external information within an office.

4. Furniture: A right type of furniture in place makes the office look more
pleasant and professional. Choosing the right type of office furniture
plays an important role in increasing the employee’s efficiency thus
contributes to a positive attitude at the workplace.
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 About the Office
1.7.2 Skills Used in Offices
1. Communication Skills: An employee must have good communication
skills for being successful in an office environment. The type of
communication varies on the basis of job description. Both written and
oral communication are important. Some employees need to write well
and communicate through regular emails or some need to answer phone
calls and speak to clients of the company on a regular basis. Depending
on the job, negotiations may even be necessary.

2. Management Skills: Every employee needs to manage themselves in

their job. He must be able to look at their workload and set priorities by
determining which tasks need to be done first and which ones can be
done later. He must be able to manage his time efficiently for completing
a maximum number of tasks throughout the day.

3. Problem-Solving Skills: An employee must have problem-solving skills

for figuring out the best way to complete tasks and fix the issues that
may arise. Employees must have coordination qualities to work together
as a team and they may use brainstorming techniques for solving
problems and completing projects.

4. Computer Skills: Various offices give priority to people who have

experience and knowledge with specific types of software that the
company uses, for instance, financial software or accounting software. If
the company hires someone who does not have these skills, he needs to
be provided with additional training for doing his job well. The ability to
catch and learn things quickly and solve simple computer issues is also
an important skill for employees to have.

1.8 TYPES OF OFFICES

Offices come in different shapes, sizes and classes. One may choose the type
of office that may suit the specific needs. The various types of offices are
discussed below:

1. Traditional Office: A traditional office is ideal if the business is

indulged in financial services, hedge funds, law firms or similar. The
traditional or classic office layout includes a reception, boardroom and
private offices and gives quiet and private areas that help employees
work and converse with the clients.

2. Creative Office: It focuses on teamwork and collaboration. It is

characterized by fewer barriers and more transparency. Creative offices
are more popular in start-up companies, creative agencies, advertising
agencies, and others. They are also space-efficient and employees can be
fitted in tables rather than cubicles.

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Introduction to Office 3. Private Office: It is rented to an individual entity which comes in all
sizes ranging from one person to hundred. It is characterized by a
lockable room which is located within a shared office facility. It provides
a quiet, secure and confidential space to work and allows one to join in
with the wider professional community.

4. Coworking Office: It is one of the most flexible and favored types of

office which allows one to work alongside other businesses in an open
communal office. There is flexibility in terms of the number of desks
that one may rent. It is common among start-ups and small companies
which need a workspace for an indefinite period of time. Many of these
may have unique features like roof terraces or chill-out zones.

5. Contiguous Office: Contiguous offices are usually rented to a single

tenant and are made up of multiple but combined suites on the same
floor of a building.

6. Executive Suites: It is a fully furnished and serviced office space that is

pre-wired for phone and internet services. It is often secured as a sublet
with flexible terms: monthly, quarterly or yearly.

7. Enterprise Suite: It is a type of managed office that is customizable to

suit the needs of larger teams. It is a type of Coworking or serviced
office.

8. Sublet: A sublet office allows to rent conventional office space without

taking on the responsibility and lease cost. The lead tenant has
permission to sublet their office. These offices give an independent feel
of the commercial lease without binding any long-term contract or large
deposits.

Check Your Progress B:

1. What is a private office?

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2. Define coworking.
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 About the Office
3. “An employee must have good communication skills for being
successful in an office environment.” Comment.
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4. List the features of a private office.
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1.9 LET US SUM UP

Complexities of business are increasing day by day. In the earlier times,
products were usually made of locally available raw materials and served to
the local market only. But advances in science, technology, industrialization,
transport, communication, etc. have reformulated the concept view of the
office. Now offices are developed on scientific principle and their
management and administration are in the hands of qualified and trained
managerial personnel.

The English word “Office” first came into light in 1395, which referred to a
“place where business is transacted” but the word has older roots. Office
word is taken from the Latin word Officium, which didn't necessarily refer to
a specific place but rather a bureau in the sense of staff, or the more abstract
meaning of formal position. In layman terms, an office is a workplace where
people are engaged in an assigned task in a hierarchical manner for the
fulfillment of the organization’s common objectives and goals.

Office layout means the systematic arrangement of office equipment,

machines, and furniture and providing adequate space to office personnel for
regular performance of work with efficiency. In simpler words, it is the
blueprint of the office floor, and hence, also called the office floor plan.
While taking decisions about office layout the onus lies on the office
manager. An office manager should make sure the proper allocation of space
to each section and interlink them with other sections.

Office location means the place or site where the office organization is
situated. Deciding about the business location is one of the most crucial tasks
as it largely affects employees’ job satisfaction and work-life balance. An
15
Introduction to Office organization’s present and future plans must be taken into consideration
while deciding about the location. The location must be one, where from the
entire organization can be served efficiently at a reasonable cost.

Office procedures are the set of standards for the staff working in an office. It
is often a set of rules or policies guiding the operations of an office or small
business. An office procedure basically is an organization’s formal process to
collect necessary information for effective and efficient decision-making.
Having stringent and clearly defined office procedures helps in creating a
uniform way of doing things which leads to consistency, efficiency, and
professionalism within the office environment.

The main functions of offices are decision-making and providing

information. Decision-making involves executing managerial functions such
as planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, controlling, motivating,
innovating, and integrating and providing information and other services to
company departments and units, customers, suppliers, investors, employers
and regulating authorities. In any organization an office has two different
roles, those are, a Contributory role and a vigilant role.

One needs to have a set of specific skills and certain types of equipment for
working in an office. The skills and equipment may vary slightly depending
upon the type of office but overall, they are quite the same. Various
equipment used in offices are paper-related equipment, computers, internet,
and furniture, whereas, various desired skills in offices are communication
skills, management skills, problem-solving skills, and computer skills.

Offices come in different shapes, sizes and classes. One may choose the type
of office that may suit the specific needs. The various types of offices are
traditional office, creative office, private office, coworking office, contiguous
office, executive suites, enterprise suite, and sublet, etc.

1.10 KEYWORDS
Contiguous office: Contiguous offices are usually rented to a single tenant
and are made up of multiple but combined suites on the same floor of a
building.

Coworking Office: It is one of the most flexible and favored types of office
which allows one to work alongside other businesses in an open communal
office.

Creative office: It focuses on teamwork and collaboration. It is characterized

by fewer barriers and more transparency.

Enterprise Suite: It is a type of managed office that is customizable to suit

the needs of larger teams. It is a type of Coworking or serviced office.

Office Management: Office management involves the planning, design, and

16 implementation of work in an organization and its offices.
 About the Office
Office Layout: Office layout is defined as the arrangement of all physical
components within the available floor space to provide the maximum
effectiveness and the coordination of these components into an effective or
attractive unity.

Office Location: Office location means the place and site where the office of
an organization is situated.

Office Procedures: Office procedures set the standard for how a staff works
together in the office. It is often a set of rules or policies guiding the
operations of an office or small business.

1.11 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. What is the office layout? State its objectives.
2. What do you understand by office location? List the factors affecting
office location.
3. State the significance of office procedure.
4. Why is coworking the most common in start-ups?
5. What are the different types of offices?
6. There are different equipment and skills required in an office. Explain.
7. Which two types of roles are played by office in an organization?

Note: These questions will help you to understand this unit better. Try to
write answers for them. But do not submit your answers to the University for
assessment. These are for your practice only.

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