Sheet 29
OFFICE LAYOUT
In the past, the office was simply considered as nothing more than a place of work. Little thought was given as to how to lay out the office space itself. This has now come to be regarded as very important if the productivity and creativity of staff working there is to be improved.
The type of office layout that is most appropriate depends on the climate of the organization and the type of work undertaken. The main principles and types of office layout are outlined as follows.
1 Principles of Good Office Layout
・Make use of the office space as efficiently as possible.
・Listen to the opinions of employees and gain their consent where possible(if location or size of desk is linked to a symbol of rank, respect it).
・Place employees with connected duties within close range.
・Create a work environment in which employees can concentrate.
・Make employees feel comfortable at work.
・Locate employees in such a way that they may communicate with each other easily.
・Layout the office in such a way that employees may share information easily.
・Ensure that the office layout may be easily adjusted should there be a change in personnel or other situation.
・Ensure that there is enough space to walk through the office and that there is easy access to filing cabinets.
・Provide a space to receive clients.
・Secure open space(where an employee can relax by themselves away from their desk) and meeting space.
2 Types of Office Layout
There are two basic types of office; the shared office, where people work together in the same space and the private office, where an employee is assigned their own individual space. The benefits and drawbacks of each type of office and the layout within these most appropriate to the job, are outlined as follows.
