Office

Historical Development of Offices:
– The term “office” originates from the Latin word officium.
– Ancient offices were part of palace complexes or large temples in classical antiquity.
– The Roman bureaucracy set a high standard not matched in the West for centuries.
– Scribes were documented working in ancient offices for record-keeping and management functions.
– The medieval chancery with pigeonholes for parchment storage emerged in the High Middle Ages.
– The 13th century saw the first use of the term “office.”
– The 18th century witnessed the construction of purpose-built office spaces like the Old Admiralty and the East India House.
– Industries like banking, rail, and insurance spurred the need for office spaces for centralized administration.

Office Functions and Design:
– Offices provide workspaces for administrative and managerial tasks like reading, writing, and computer work.
– They may have meeting rooms, lounges, and support spaces based on company culture.
– Modern offices require specific features like lighting, networking, and security.
– Office design impacts productivity and collaboration.
– Layouts can vary from small businesses to massive buildings with different arrangements like cubicles, kitchen areas, and unique space organization.

Efficiency and Organization in Offices:
– The 20th century saw improvements in workplace efficiency through time and motion studies.
– Innovations like the Modern Efficiency Desk and the Action Office concept enhanced productivity.
– Japanese office layouts emphasized open plans, group collaboration, and flattened hierarchies.
– Japanese offices have empowered employees, self-managing teams, and consensus-based decision-making.
– These structures led to improved efficiency, job satisfaction, and harmonious business operations.

Office Spaces and Structures:
– Workspaces in offices include open offices, team spaces, cubicles, private offices, and shared offices.
– Meeting spaces range from small to large rooms and brainstorm areas.
– Support spaces encompass filing, storage, printing, mailing, and pantry areas.
– Office layouts can be individual rooms, open-plan offices, or cubicle desks, impacting productivity and privacy concerns.
– Office buildings vary from small to high-rise structures, meeting modern requirements like location flexibility and specific building needs.

Office Management and Etiquette:
– Office management involves employee scheduling, task delegation, meeting coordination, budgeting, and performance evaluation.
– Office etiquette covers communication, punctuality, dress code, respect for privacy, and the use of shared spaces.
– Office furniture evolved from cabinet-like desks to modern efficiency desks for monitoring and efficiency.
– The impact of open-plan offices on mental health and well-being has been a subject of discussion, with calls for reevaluation post-pandemic.
– Office rental rates are classified into Class A, B, and C buildings, with different features and target tenants.

Office (Wikipedia)

For other uses, see Office (disambiguation).

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An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it (see officer or official); the latter is an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. In the adjective form, the term "office" may refer to business-related tasks. In law, a company or organization has offices in any place where it has an official presence, even if that presence consists of a storage silo, for example, instead of a more traditional establishment with a desk and chair. An office is also an architectural and design phenomenon, including small offices, such as a bench in the corner of a small business or a room in someone's home (see small office/home office), entire floors of buildings, and massive buildings dedicated entirely to one company. In modern terms, an office is usually the location where white-collar workers carry out their functions.

Offices were, in classical antiquity, often part of a palace complex or a large temple. In the High Middle Ages (1000–1300), the medieval chancery served as a sort of office, being the space where records and laws were stored and copied. With the growth of large, complex organizations in the 18th century, the first purpose-built office spaces were constructed. As the Industrial Revolution intensified in the 18th and 19th centuries, the industries of banking, rail, insurance, retail, petroleum, and telegraphy grew dramatically, requiring many clerks. As a result, more office space was assigned to house their activities. The time-and-motion study, pioneered in manufacturing by F. W. Taylor (1856–1915), led to the "Modern Efficiency Desk" of 1915 with a flat top and drawers below, designed to allow managers an easy view of the workers. By the middle of the 20th century, it became apparent that an efficient office required discretion in the control of privacy, and gradually the cubicle system evolved.

The main purpose of an office building is to provide a working environment for primarily administrative and managerial workers. Work spaces within offices are typically used for conventional office activities such as reading, writing, and computer work. Workers usually occupy set areas within the office building and are usually provided with desks, PCs, and other equipment they may need within their areas. The interior of the office may or may not have internal walls, barriers, or cubicles separating individual workers from one another. In addition to individual workspaces, many offices contain meeting rooms, lounges, and spaces for support activities such as photocopying and filing. Some offices also have a kitchen area where workers can make their lunches. There are many different ways of arranging the space in an office based on function, managerial styles, and the culture of specific companies. While offices can be built in almost any location and almost any building, some modern requirements for offices make this more difficult, such as requirements for light, networking, and security.