The Working Environment

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Office Layout The 2 main types of office layout are:

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Cellular Open Plan

Consists of rooms in which an employee works on his/her own or with a few other employees

Consists of a large area where many employees work togetherLandscaped is a very large open plan area where all the office activities are undertaken. Separated by plants, furniture, partitions/screens

Cellular Office Layout

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Advantages:

•More privacy than being in an open-plan office

•Less sharing of equipment eg photocopiers, scanners, printers etc

•Less chance of being distracted or interrupted by other employees and background noise

•Infections and illnesses less easily spread amongst employees

Cellular Office Layout

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Disadvantages:

•Wastes space as employees require their own office

•No sharing of equipment/resources eg photocopiers, scanners, printers etc increases costs

•Employees may feel isolated and no feeling of ‘team work’

•Uneconomic in term of lighting/heating etc

Open Plan Office Layout

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Advantages:

•Improved communication with colleagues

•Equipment can be more easily shared eg printers, photocopiers, scanners etc

•Can be designed to improve workflow and suit work groups

•Staff do not feel isolated

•Easy to supervise employees

Open Plan Office Layout

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Disadvantages:•Being distracted or interrupted by other colleagues and background noise

•Infections and illnesses can be more easily spread amongst employees

•Does not give status of having your ‘own office’

•Cannot regulate heat/light to suit individual needs

Work FlowWorkflow describes the flow of people and paper around the office

Locate associated work areas together eg sales and marketingThere should be no unnecessary physical barriers to get from A to BCommon services/equipment should be sited in a central location to allow everyone to have access to them

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Ergonomic Environment

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Ergonomics is an attempt to look at the office environment, and its impact on the individual

•The working environment should take account of individual needs, including health and safety issues

•Furniture and equipment is well-designed to meet the users needs

•Lighting and heating is considered

•Workstations provide a degree of privacy

Revision Questions

Try to answer the questions on the next few slides

If you need help to answer them then click on the action button next to each question.

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Revision Question 1

Describe the 2 main types of office layout.

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Revision Question 2

What is meant by the term workflow?

Give 3 principles of good office design.

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Revision Question 3

Describe 2 possible effects on the employee of a move from a cellular office layout to an open-plan layout.

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Revision Question 4

Describe 2 advantages to an employee of working in a cellular office.

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Revision Question 5

What is meant by the term Ergonomic Environment?

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THE END