Introduction to Office Layout

When a management decides to establish an office, it has to carefully define

its plan for systematic and scientific segmentation of various departments and
equipment for the office.

The reason is that the systematic arrangement of office equipment leads to

availing of maximum benefit from the space available. The office layout is
based on the principle of division of labor. If the principle of division of labor
is applied, every job of an office can be divided into many sections. All the
sections may not be possible to accommodate in one room or on the same
floor. Hence, office layout ensures fully utilization of office space and the
efficiency of operation is high.

Meaning of 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.

Definition of Office Layout

According to Littlefield,

“Office layout is the arrangement of equipment within the available floor space”.
According to Hicks and Place,

“The problem of layout relates to the arrangement in the space involved so that all
the equipment, supplies, procedures and personnel can function at maximum
efficiency”.
Therefore, the main task of office manager is the proper allocation of space to
each section by considering the interlinking of other sections, so that the
activities of different sections can be coordinated and controlled easily.
Faulty or improper arrangement of furniture, equipment and space for
employees leads to unnecessary wastage of time and energy and increase in
the cost of office operations.
Objectives of Office Layout
The main objectives of office layout are as follows

1. Effective utilization of available floor space and smooth flow of work.

2. Both power and telephone service is made available whenever necessary.

3. Office supervision is made more easy and convenient.

4. Good working conditions should be provided to each employee
5. The reception room should be very near to the main gate or entrance so
that the visitors may feel easy and convenient.

6. A sense of belonging and loyalty should be made in the minds of office

employees
7. Employee’s satisfaction should be the outcome of proper office layout.
8. There should be a free flow of communication among employees.
9. All the sections can not work independently. Hence, the office layout
ensues the interlinking of each sections according to their needs.

What are the Objectives of the Office Layout?

The minimum standards to be followed are:

1) To ensure the proper utilization of space so that the spaces provided are
effectively used.
2) To ensure that workflow is uninterrupted and there is the maintenance of
steady flow.
3) To ensure that managers can supervise their team members in a better way.
4) To be able to provide a comfortable work environment which brings
satisfaction.
5) To enable better communication between the team members.
6) To provide a safe working environment.
7) To have provisions for future expansions.

types of Office Layout

Office layout may be classified into two categories, They are

1. Process Layout: In process layout, both equipment and employees are

arranged according to the sequence of operations. For example, the filing
section may be located next to the despatch section and so on.
2. Group Layout: In group layout, employees are placed in a separate
partition  where similar activities are carried on and office machines are fitted
with another section. For example, all computers are fitted in separate room
i.e, computer room.

Principles of Office Layout:

The main principle behind the office layout design should be such that it
occupies the available space in an economical way so that the aim and
objectives of the organization or business is achieved.

The layout must be effective such that the workstations are planned to be
positioned such that data is being transmitted with minimal costs and
information can flow with minimum delays or without interruption.
The workstation has to be provided with items necessary for executing the
job. Care has to be taken for storage of information and documents. Listed
are some of the principles to be taken care while designing

1. Natural lighting:

Designing offices that face the north or east gets more of natural lighting. It
avoids more consumption of power.

2. Placing computers:

Desks having computers or desktops must be placed in such a way that staff
sitting at it must not have their backs or faces to the windows.

3. Designing work tables:

It is preferable to seat staff not facing each other. It is said to disrupt work.
Besides having minimum intrusion is better. Also reducing the field of vision
of employees to other employees will reduce distraction.

Also, they need to be provided with adequate lighting, ventilation, and

ergonomic chairs and tables to prevent eyestrain and muscle aches.

4. Flow of work:

By carefully studying the sequences of the tasks to be done, the design of the
workspace is imitated. If the person has to go back and forth in the space it
will bring frustration and reduce output. Ensure that the flow of work is
smooth and in one direction.

5. Pleasant:

The most important of all the aspects is that design should be aesthetically
pleasant. Do not concentrate on functionality alone but also on its looks.
Space has to be optimally used.

6. Provision of tools:

Assignments are completed quickly if they have the necessary space and
tools to perform them. The work station should be spacious enough to
accommodate their files, papers and their documents. Having copiers and
printers closer to them is better to avoid them frequently moving out and
wasting their time.

7. Grouping:

Placing the same functional type of work together or closer to each other will
help to reduce time wastage. The employees have the freedom to consultation
and information easily so that work is handled efficiently. Hence, it is better
to list out the functions or tasks that employees perform and design the office
planning and layout accordingly.

8. Open a private space:

The employer needs to verify which tasks require collaboration with one
another and which set of tasks require concentration. Based on this, specific
cubicles are designed with open or low separators and others with separate
cubicles or traditional with closed doors. Making a separation between the
two types is essential

9. Informal and formal spaces:

Every workspace does require employees to take breaks in between work.

For this, communal spaces are designed that is closer to the work stations.
These informal communal spaces are often built with more space to
accommodate large numbers during coffee or lunch breaks. The informal
communal spaces meant for conferences or meetings are often placed away
from busy workspace that is noisy.

10. Security:

As it is aware that information is very critical to any business, care needs to

be exercised to define a level of security and norms for workstations
processing data. Mainly the storage of confidential and sensitive data has to
be placed away from main workspace and protected.

11. Reducing risk:

Designing has to be such that it reduces the risk of accidents or falls.

Allowing ergonomic norms of wiring and placing of tables, chairs, and work
stations provide safe working conditions. The safety would be maintained.
12. Reduce distances:

While figuring out the workspace the distance between movements of each
task has also to be considered. Movements like walking, carrying, pulling
consumes time and energy. It causes exhaustion thereby reducing
effectiveness. Hence, distances has to be reduced to minimize costs and
energy.

What are the Different Types of Office Layouts?

The office layouts are broadly classified as general office layouts and private
office layouts. The latest layouts are combination offices, a co-working
office, narrative layouts, nodal layouts, neighborly office, and nomadic
office.

When talking about “what are the types of office”, the general office layouts
are of two types

 Open plan office layout

 Landscape office layout

1. Open plan office layout:

As the name indicates, the open office plan layout does not have walls or
separators or passages. Cupboards, shelves screens, cabinets serve as
separators between workstations. All staff are seated in the same direction.
This is useful for teams and employees who are working on a similar project.
The advantages of open plan office are:

1) To reduce costs and saves space.

2) To facilitate communication as there are no phone calls and fewer memos.
3) To adapt to changes
4) To help supervise all staff
5) To increase the effectiveness of heating, lighting
6) To motivate staff within a group.

The disadvantages of open plan office are:

1) Distracts people from work due to noise

2) No privacy for confidential matters
3) Impersonal atmosphere.
4) The spread of infections is easier

2. The landscape office layout:

The concept is the same as open plan layout with the only difference being
that the staff are seated in different directions unlike in open plan style. It was
not preferred much as it did not give privacy and the staff working in such
layouts complained of being exposed to noise and continuous movement of
people around them.

It was also said to have destroyed the conventional forms of politeness and
being civil. It later was referred to as ‘modified\ open plan style’ with plants
around and preassembled cubicles that can be moved accordingly to
accommodate more people.

The private office layout:

The private office layout refers to cellular styles where the interior walls
stretch from floor to the ceiling. The space is normally occupied by one
person, but depending on the company’s budget, two or three are
accommodated. But mostly it is preferred seating for senior management to
give privacy.

Though it is considered as a privilege and prestigious to occupy, these type of

offices are indeed a valuable place as it indicates a high level of confidence in
the work of the occupants. The private offices are often given where privacy
and confidentiality is required.

Besides, these offices are secured well through proper locking systems. These
types of offices are lined along passages or sometimes ad hoc according to
space.

The combination office:

It is a combination of open and cellular types where the individual and

multicellular types co-exist. The offices surround the common spaces instead
of being connected through hallways. This helps for individuals to
concentrate or focus on work and also allow communication within the team,
denoting the person(s) has to perform solo and group activity.
Co-working office:

With laptops replacing personal computers, employees are increasingly

becoming mobile with their work. The arrangement where the office is
considered as a common sharing place where employees come and go. The
worker is exposed to an open office style with no specific allocation of desks.

It’s suitable for self-employed where the individuals can pay a small fee. This
helps them to interact with customers and also enjoy networking.

The narrative office:

As story narrates about the character in depth, so does this style of layout that
describes the ‘brand’ of the company. This approach is to make the office
itself get involved in the marketing of its brand wherein all the staff are
considered as brand managers or front line staff.

The nodal office:

The office is designed such a way that it is considered as a hub or node for
knowledge where all other offices are connected.

The neighbourly office:

Here the office is designed to give a look like a familiar neighbour with a
landscape with it. It gives a feeling of being social.

The nomadic office:

As the name itself suggests, the office design principles are typical of nomad
style wherein the workspace is distributed within.

Advantages of a Good Office Layout:

1. Better Goodwill
2. Better Morale
3. Reduction of Cost in Office Maintenance
4. Economic Stabilization
5. Promotes Efficiency
6. Improves Quality of Supervision
7. Best Uses of equipment and Machines and Equipment
8. Speeding of Inter-department Communication