Office Layouts

Unit 2a Standard Grade Administration

My Ideal Office
(2 minute task) Write down a short description of your ideal office.

Office Layout
Cellular (Traditional) - consists of rooms in which an employee works on his/her own or with a few other employees. Open Plan (Landscaped) - consists of a large area where many employees work together.
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Identify The Differences

From the Previous Diagrams - what are the differences between the two office layouts? Using the A3 Office Plans provided highlight the differences and report back to the class
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Cellular Office - Advantages

Rooms are lockable easier to restrict access to equipment and confidential information Employees are less likely to be distracted or have their work interrupted by others Offices can be used to hold confidential meetings or meetings with important clients Encourages a team approach amongst those employees who share a room Noisy office equipment can be placed in a separate room
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Cellular Office - Advantages

Each room can be designed and equipped to suit the employees working in the room or the type of work being undertaken employees can adjust heating/lighting/ventilation etc Infections and illnesses are less easily spread through the organisation It is easier for employees to personalise their work area with plants, photographs etc
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Cellular Office - Disadvantages

It is more difficult for a manager to supervise employees who are in a number of separate rooms Communication may be less efficient it may be more difficult to organise meetings of employees from different departments Time may be wasted in passing information and work from one room to another It is more difficult to introduce standard procedures

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Cellular Office - Disadvantages

Employees may feel isolated they may not know where their work fits into the work of the organisation; they may not get to know other employees Individual rooms cost more to equip and redecorate; walls, doors and windows take up valuable (and expensive) space It may not be easy to increase or decrease size of work areas to match changes in the volume of work It is more difficult to create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere as line managers are likely to be in separate rooms.
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Open-Plan Office - Advantages

Line managers should find it easier to supervise employees It should be easier to organise meetings of groups of employees Less time should be wasted in passing information and work from one group of employees to another The size of work areas can be increased or decreased to match changes in the volume of work
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Open-Plan Office - Advantages

A more relaxed and friendlier atmosphere can be created with employees and line managers working in the same area should lead to increased cooperation across sections of the organisation Equipment eg photocopiers, fax machines and scanners, can be more easily shared Less space is wasted with fewer walls and doors, lighting, heating and cleaning should be less expensive and easier to organise
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Open-Plan Office Disadvantages

Employees may find it difficult to concentrate on their work because of background noise Employees may be distracted or have their work interrupted by other employees or by through traffic It may be more difficult to restrict access by unauthorised staff to equipment or confidential information There are likely to be fewer suitable areas for holding confidential or important meetings
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Open-Plan Office Disadvantages

Infections and illnesses can be more easily spread amongst employees Likely to be less wall space for departmental information (charts, tables, pictures, etc) Private offices may still be required for senior staff Standard lighting, heating and ventilation may not suit all activities or employees
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Advantages/Disadvantages
Using the next slide fill in the tables in your notes booklet with the advantages and disadvantages of each type of office layout.

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Noise Light/Heat Security Resources

(Access and Number)

Time
(Wasted Time)

Privacy Access
(Authorisation)

Management Organisation
(Furniture etc)

Team Spirit

Illness

Wall Space

Personalisation

Communication
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A Case Study
Watch the Matrix and identify the two types of office seen in the short clip. Can you see the differences between each?

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Factors influencing choice

The number of employees within the organisation

Whether the organisation will grow in size or get smaller

The type of work activities carried out by the organisation

The amount of money available

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The Layout Chosen Should

Be adaptable to meet changes in the type or volume of work Provide sufficient work and storage space Take account of the flow of work time taken to pass information should be kept to a minimum Allow employees to move about easily passageways should be wide and free from obstruction Provide easy access to services , eg power points and phone sockets Provide easy access to equipment, eg filing cabinets, photocopiers, printers and fax machines Provide security for equipment and information
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Office Ergonomics
Ergonomics looks at how the working environment (including furniture, equipment, dcor, heating, lighting, ventilation, noise, work activities and procedures) affects the work of employees.

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Office Ergonomics
Improving the working environment should: Improve employee morale and commitment to the organisation Increase output and improve efficiency Reduce accidents and injuries Reduce sickness and absenteeism Reduce stress
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What features of Office Furniture are important?

Desk
The size and shape must suit the work being done Mobile Pedestal Units may be placed beneath the work surface Must consider height, depth, width, mobility etc L-shaped desk so that staff can carry out computer tasks on one part and turn to the other to do paperwork Desks of different shapes and sizes can be bought and joined together Bookcases for storing reference books Filing cabinets for holding correspondence and other business documents Mobile pedestal for storing stationery and small items Should be adjustable back and height Swivel action to allow the operator to turn easily Cushioned for comfort There should be a large table suitable for meetings Access to audio/visual equipment Tea/coffee making facilities

Workstations

Storage Units

Chairs

Large Tables

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Important Features of Desks

Size and shape of work surface should suit the work to be undertaken Mobile pedestal units (with drawers or shelves) may be placed beneath work surfaces Consideration should be given to height, depth width, weight, mobility, etc Work surface should be non-reflective Should match and be able to be combined with other office furniture
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Important Features of Workstations

L-shaped desk: an employee can carry out computer work on one part of the desk and turn to the other part to do paperwork, make phone calls, etc Consideration should be given to cable management some workstations have channels to store/hide cables Desks of different sizes and shapes may be bought to allow for a variety of layouts

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Important Features of Chairs

Minimum standards are laid down in the Health Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992

Seat back adjustable for height and tilt Swivel action allows operator to turn easily Arm rests Cushioned for comfort Seat sloping to front to reduce pressure on thighs 5-star base provides stability Castors allow easy movement of chair

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How should office furniture and equipment be set out?

The layout of furniture and equipment should:

Be suited to the type of work to be undertaken Make the best use of the space available Be flexible and allow for changing needs Provide an attractive and pleasant working environment Provide safe working conditions furniture and equipment must satisfy health and safety requirements Cont
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How should office furniture and equipment be set out?

Allow employees to move easily between work areas Keep noise levels to a minimum Provide for easy access to phone sockets and power sources Make good use of heating, lighting and ventilation Provide for restricted access to certain area, eg where confidential work needs to be undertaken or important meetings need to be held

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Furniture and Equipment

Furniture and equipment should be fit for purpose Different activities have different requirements You need to know what the requirements are for Administrative and Clerical Work Meetings and Interviews

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Activity
Administrative & Clerical Work

Large work surface suitable for doing written work, handling papers and using a computer Access to power points, phone sockets and computer network Soundproof screens to reduce noise and to provide privacy for onscreen confidential work Access to storage units

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Activity
Meetings and Interviews

Privacy either a separate room or an area sectioned off with soundproof screens Large table(s) for meetings; coffee table for interviews Comfortable seating Access to audio/visual equipment Pleasant surroundings (pictures, plants, etc) Tea and coffee making facilities

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How should a workstation be organised?

Workstations should:

Have a cable management system (channels on desk, wall or floor to house unsightly, and potentially dangerous, cables) Be free from clutter (especially if other employees have to use the workstation) use should be made of drawers, filing trays, desk tidies, book holders, etc Have all working materials (paperclips, staplers, post-its, envelopes, etc) close to hand Have easy access to a phone, especially where the employee may have to answer her/his line managers incoming phone calls Have drawers available for the storage of materials
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Homeworking/Teleworking
Homeworking is where employees are able to work at home some or all of the time Work which is done at home is transmitted to the employer using ICT equipment and phone links
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When away from the employers premises, employees can use:

Laptop (portable) computers with applications software (eg word processing, spreadsheet, database and DTP) to process information Computers to receive and send emails and to access websites Mobile phones to receive and send messages Voicemail and telephone answering machines receive and record messages Fax machines to receive and send information Pagers to receive messages or to be alerted to phone their employer Videoconferencing facilities to hold meetings
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Homeworking/Teleworking
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of working practice? In a group (max 4) list as many advantages and disadvantages as you can

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Advantages of Homeworking/Teleworking

Less space is required at the employers premises this is likely to save money Employees waste less time travelling to work Increases in transport costs and parking charges will have little effect on employees Employer may be able to keep employing staff who might otherwise leave

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Advantages of Homeworking/Teleworking

Organisation can employ workers who might not be able to work in the office (eg workers with a physical disability) Employee motivation may be increased with employees given more responsibility for managing their own time Should be less stressful for employees Employer and employee have greater flexibility in arranging working hours

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Disadvantages of Homeworking/Teleworking

Loss of close control over employees who are working at home employees need to be able to work on their own without supervision Cost of purchasing, using and maintaining ICT equipment More difficult to ensure that ICT equipment and home workstations satisfy health and safety requirements

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Disadvantages of Homeworking/Teleworking

More difficult to organise training in the use of equipment and software, and in aspects of safety More difficult to provide advice and support in the use of ICT equipment Employees may not be available for meetings at short notice Employees will miss out on social aspects of work employees may feel remote from the employer

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Hot-Desking
Where a significant amount of work is undertaken at home there is no need to provide all employees with a desk at the office Instead hot-desks are created for times when people do need to come into the office or for visitors from another branch This saves valuable space and will maximise the use of ICT equipment

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Touchdown Areas

Cannot be booked in advance Used for a short period of time eg sending an email or a fax
Touchdown, is probably a term borrowed from American Football, but in this context it means a place to stop off and plug in your laptop computer, on you way to or from a meeting.
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Carrel
A Carrel is a small booth which allows more privacy and fewer distractions for employees. Also often used in libraries for individual study
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Job-Share
Employees share the job between them and each is paid a portion of the salary If one employee is off sick, the other may be able to cover Not suitable for senior management positions
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Flexi-Time
This allows employees to start early or work late to build up hours which they can take off at a later date. There are certain times during each day when the employees must work. These are known as core times eg 10-11.30 am and 2.30-3.30 pm

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What are the implications for management of changes in office layout or work practices?

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Considerations before implementing changes

Need to alter the premises because of changes in the provision of workstations, heating, lighting, cabling, power supply, phone outlets Purchase of additional accommodation, furniture and equipment Provision of hot desks, hot rooms or touchdown areas Maintenance of ICT equipment used by homeworkers/teleworkers Introduction of new/revised work procedures Provision of staff training Safety and security of equipment and information Health, safety and welfare of members of staff
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Managing Change

Management should plan how the changes will be introduced Introduce the changes gradually Inform employees fully about what is happening Involve employees at each stage Explain to employees how the changes are likely to affect their work and what the benefits will be Consult and negotiate with employee reps (ie trade unions) Reassure employees of their value to the organisation Monitor the process of change at each stage Provide staff with appropriate training
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Exam Questions
a) Marina Enterprises operates an open plan working environment. State 2 advantages of this type of working environment. 2 KU b) Suggest one way in which Marina Enterprises could deal with each of the following: (i) Confidential discussions at meetings are often overheard and repeated in the office. (ii) Decisions made at meetings are not being passed on to teleworkers. (iii) A number of staff are arriving late to work, missing important meetings and telephone calls, due to personal reasons. 3 KU c) Justify the use of a cellular office layout.

2 KU

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Exam Questions
d) Staff morale at Level One UK is low. After consulting with staff, Sean Fishpool, the Human Resources Manager, prepared the following memo for Hugh Jones, the General Manager. Give a response for each of the concerns identified. 3PS

MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Hugh Jones, General Manager Sean Fishpool, Human Resources Manager 28 January 2008 STAFF MORALE

I have identified a number of concerns which I think contribute to the low morale of staff. Concern 1 staff feel that they do not have the necessary skills to keep up-to-date with recent changes in technology; Concern 2 many ICT staff experience headaches and backache; Concern 3 staff want an area to discuss confidential matters outwith the open plan office.

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Exam Questions
e) Dan Druff is a buyer for Office Equipment Ltd and has recently become a teleworker. Dan thought that working from home would be easier. He enjoys the flexibility this gives him, but has the following concerns. (i) He misses the social contact within the office. (i) He does not seem to get as much work done in the same amount of time as he did when working at the office. Suggest and justify 2 ways Dan could overcome these problems. 4 KU

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Exam Questions
f) Philip Cosh is Office Manager at EX-EL Ltd. The office layout is cellular. All available space is being used at the moment. Philip plans to employ 3 new members of staff and the lack of space is a major concern for him. Recommend an alternative layout which would solve the above problem and justify your recommendations. 3 PS

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