| Business |
| Office Administration |
| Design of Offices |
Why should a company bother about the design of it's offices? Isn't the cheapest office the best? If you
think so, you are not aware of the interaction between the work place on one hand and the
productivity and effectiveness of the employees on the other, If your office is satisfactory, you will be
more productive. If there is a good atmosphere with your colleagues, you will be more efficient. So you
must be aware of the relevance of environmental factors to staff performance.
Human engineering tells us how to design an environmental at work that is supporting, healthy and
efficient for the employee and profitable for the company.
This does not only concern the design of offices but also other areas that are indicated below:
think so, you are not aware of the interaction between the work place on one hand and the
productivity and effectiveness of the employees on the other, If your office is satisfactory, you will be
more productive. If there is a good atmosphere with your colleagues, you will be more efficient. So you
must be aware of the relevance of environmental factors to staff performance.
Human engineering tells us how to design an environmental at work that is supporting, healthy and
efficient for the employee and profitable for the company.
This does not only concern the design of offices but also other areas that are indicated below:
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Design of Offices.
There are 4 different kinds of offices:
(1) Separate Offices: A minimum size of 15-20 sqm per office (and so per person) is needed. These
measurement include the furniture.
(2) Group Offices: This kind of office might accommodate a whole section or department (between 2
and 20 employees).
(3) Landscape Office: This is a larger office. The purpose is to accommodate up to 50 employees. You
need approximately 8 sqm per person not including the furniture.
You also need special rooms for breaks, conferences and meeting. So at the end there is no real
saving of space.
Other disadvantages are:
(4) Room-in-room-office: This is an improved from a landscape office. Movable walls, shelves, plants &
furniture are arranged in a way that separates groups from each other.
So the employees and their working places are better protected against noise and too much visual
contact. On the other hand it is still very easy to contact a colleague, if necessary.
There are 4 different kinds of offices:
- Separate Offices.
- Group Offices.
- Landscape Offices.
- Room-in-the-room-offices.
(1) Separate Offices: A minimum size of 15-20 sqm per office (and so per person) is needed. These
measurement include the furniture.
- Advantage of separate office are
- no problem for confidential talk.
- quiet
- individual working method possible
- Disadvantages
- Communication with colleagues is more difficult
- to avoid running to other offices, all facilities have to be in the office
(2) Group Offices: This kind of office might accommodate a whole section or department (between 2
and 20 employees).
- Advantages:
- the space is better used
- files can be passed from one desk to another, so co-operation is improved
- you can use the same device for several employees (e.g. Telephones)
- Disadvantages:
- Lack of concentration due to noise
- visitors or phone calls are disturbing all employees
(3) Landscape Office: This is a larger office. The purpose is to accommodate up to 50 employees. You
need approximately 8 sqm per person not including the furniture.
You also need special rooms for breaks, conferences and meeting. So at the end there is no real
saving of space.
Other disadvantages are:
- it is expensive to construct & to run
- The employees may feel more controlled by the executives
- it is very noisy
- Because of the noise, the employees can't concentrate
(4) Room-in-room-office: This is an improved from a landscape office. Movable walls, shelves, plants &
furniture are arranged in a way that separates groups from each other.
So the employees and their working places are better protected against noise and too much visual
contact. On the other hand it is still very easy to contact a colleague, if necessary.
The climate
Climate in an office should be kept like the following:
Most of the air conditioning system can produce such a favourable climate, if they are properly
adjusted & maintained.
Another very important factor is the light. The light should be regular, it should be left above the desk to
lighten the right (working) hand and it should be strong enough. Bad light brings bad work results.
Typists are especially dependent on good light.
The colours of the walls, of the floor and the furniture too can influence the atmosphere at work.
Climate in an office should be kept like the following:
- Air Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius
- Humidity of the air: 40% - 65%, you don't feel very well when it's too humid but this optimum is often
very difficult to reach in Houston, Specially in summer. - Movement of the air: 0.1 meter per second, to guarantee fresh air on the one hand and to avoid
draft on the other. - Oxygen: 21%
Most of the air conditioning system can produce such a favourable climate, if they are properly
adjusted & maintained.
Another very important factor is the light. The light should be regular, it should be left above the desk to
lighten the right (working) hand and it should be strong enough. Bad light brings bad work results.
Typists are especially dependent on good light.
The colours of the walls, of the floor and the furniture too can influence the atmosphere at work.
- Red is activation
- Yellow is lively, so in rooms where monotonous work has to be done, these colours should be
used to activate the employees. - Green is relaxing as well as blue, so these colours are used to calm down people, e.g. In rooms
with many visitors and a frantic atmosphere,
Office Furniture & accident Prevention
As you already know, there is an interaction between the workplace on the one hand and the productivity
and effectiveness of the employee on the other. Not only the office is important but also the furniture, the
machines and the tools the employees have to use. Creating an effective surrounding means to
consider human characteristics as size, reach, flexibility as well as aspects of health.
Design of office chairs
You have to pay attention to:
A good office chair needs:
Desks: the height should be 75 cm or more. For additional desks an angel-position is preferred.
Accident prevention regulations
1. Accident reports: for every work accident you have to write an accident report that must include:
2. Fire precautions: you have to take care of the following:
3. First Aid: if you run a bigger company you need a qualified first aider within your staff. Persons with first
aid knowledge can often minimize the effects of an accident and sometimes even save a life.
Here is the list of minor injuries you can deal with:
Please observe:
4. Hazards in the office: Please observe the following precautions:
As you already know, there is an interaction between the workplace on the one hand and the productivity
and effectiveness of the employee on the other. Not only the office is important but also the furniture, the
machines and the tools the employees have to use. Creating an effective surrounding means to
consider human characteristics as size, reach, flexibility as well as aspects of health.
Design of office chairs
You have to pay attention to:
- correct sitting position
- accident prevention regulations
A good office chair needs:
- a adjustable setting hight
- a shock absorbing when you sit down
- a cushioned seat
- an adjusting back
- minimum 5 rollers for tilt-security
Desks: the height should be 75 cm or more. For additional desks an angel-position is preferred.
Accident prevention regulations
1. Accident reports: for every work accident you have to write an accident report that must include:
- Date of accident
- full detail of injuries
- circumstances of accident
- likely cause of accident
- description of the place of accident, with enclosed photos or drawings.
- apparent injuries and damages
- witnesses if available
2. Fire precautions: you have to take care of the following:
- Do not smoke in non-smoking areas.
- Use metal wast paper baskets.
- Keep fire exits clear and fire doors shut.
- Check fire extinguisher regularly and know how to use it.
- Have regular fire drills with test of fire bells.
- Make sure everybody knows what to do in case of fire.
- Have fire exits clearly signed.
- Show staff the shortest way of leaving the building.
3. First Aid: if you run a bigger company you need a qualified first aider within your staff. Persons with first
aid knowledge can often minimize the effects of an accident and sometimes even save a life.
Here is the list of minor injuries you can deal with:
- Minor cuts.
- Bruises and sprains.
- Electrical injuries.
- Burns.
- Strokes.
Please observe:
- A first aid box must always be available.
- You must know the telephone number of the ambulance.
4. Hazards in the office: Please observe the following precautions:
- Do not run cables where people can trip over them.
- Do not leave cupboards open.
- Have sensible arrangement for making hot drinks.
- Do not let necklace or ties dangle in moving devices.
- Keep your fingers out of moving parts of equipment.
- Pay special attention when unjamming paper in the copier due to very hot parts.
- Do not carry things which are too heavy for you.
- Do not stand on swivel chair to reach high placed objects.
Working Hours
We have different kind of working hours regulations within an enterprise:
1. Flexi-time:
Outside the core period, staff can start early and finish at the agreed period or start at the agreed period
and finish late, depending on their own preference and according to the convenience of the department.
Working through lunch times and tea breaks is possible within the flexi-time agreement.
You can collect hours (work more than the contracted working hours) to get extra flexi-days.
2. Records: for those who work flex-time, employees introduce weekly records which the staff must
complete stating their actual starting and finishing times for both morning and afternoon.
3. Holidays, absence and records:
People are away from work for a variety of reasons:
If you are in charge of attendance records it is important to keep the reasons for absence distinct.
We have different kind of working hours regulations within an enterprise:
- Flexi-time: the working hours are not the same each day.
- Core Periods: Workers must be at work for an agreed core period.
1. Flexi-time:
Outside the core period, staff can start early and finish at the agreed period or start at the agreed period
and finish late, depending on their own preference and according to the convenience of the department.
Working through lunch times and tea breaks is possible within the flexi-time agreement.
You can collect hours (work more than the contracted working hours) to get extra flexi-days.
2. Records: for those who work flex-time, employees introduce weekly records which the staff must
complete stating their actual starting and finishing times for both morning and afternoon.
3. Holidays, absence and records:
People are away from work for a variety of reasons:
- Sickness.( Absence because of sickness should be recorded separately, particularly because of
special sick payment regulations you need notification of absence through illness from a doctor,
beginning at the first day of absence. there will be company rules to follow about notification of
absence through illness forms. - Training courses.
- Holidays ( this is given as days per calender year)
- Flexi-days.(if you have worked overtime, you may get extra days off in addition to your holidays,
normally one per month. Check with the employer if you are able to accumulate these days) - Bereavement / Family sickness (Most organizations allow days off for compassionate leave and
emergency family sickness, without deductions from pay. Some organizations lay down how many
days an employee can take in specific circumstances, for instance: 2 days for your own wedding, 3
days for the birth of a child, 4 days for the death of a parent)
If you are in charge of attendance records it is important to keep the reasons for absence distinct.
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