Office Management: definition, types, process, jobs and best practices

Office management is a profession involving the design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of the process of work within an office or other organization, in order to sustain and improve efficiency and productivity. It is thus a part of the overall administration of business and since the elements of management are forecasting and planning, organising, command, control and coordination, the office is a part

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The responsibilities of the office

1. Introduction Everyone knows what is meant by an ‘office’ but very few are able to define it. To some it is where the management is and where the paperwork is done: to others it is where the clerks do their work, where the correspondence is done and where the filing is kept. In

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The location of the office

An office has to have a location and it is, therefore, appropriate to consider the various aspects concerning this before looking at the other factors concerning the environment. It is in the nature of things that it is not possible to find the ideal location but a satisfactory compromise must be achieved between the

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The office environment

The environment within which office work is carried on has been the subject of much study in recent decades, though this has lagged very much behind that done for the factory. Particular attention has been paid to the way furniture and equipment is arranged within offices, especially in those premises where the floor area

Physical considerations of office management

All office work causes mental fatigue, just as surely as manual work induces physical tiredness, and the result of this is a reduction in output, an increase in errors, and a lessening of the ability of the clerk to concentrate. The work of the clerical staff, whatever kinds of tasks they perform, is directly

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An introduction to office machines

The advent of machines into the office is often thought of as a modern innovation and it is sometimes forgotten that their introduction goes back into the last century, starting with the typewriter and the telephone. This introduction of machines was responsible for far-reaching changes, not only in organisation, but also in the methods

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Office Typewriters

1. Standard Typewriters The normal type of machine is the standard typewriter, sometimes referred to as a manual machine, where the typist’s fingers provide the motive power to operate the typebars and a clockwork mechanism and escapement produce lateral movement of the carriage. The usual machine of this type has an 11 or 13

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Word processing

1. Word processors Whereas the text-editing typewriter may be (and often is) called a word processor, word processors are fundamentally different in configuration and use. Almost all of them have a visual display screen (sometimes referred to as a visual display unit – hence the acronym VDU) which may or may not be integrated

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Dictating machines

Dictating machines have been in use for many years but it is particularly in the last few decades that their use has become widespread. This has happened for many reasons, but mainly because of the development of new, electronic devices, particularly magnetic recording, of smaller and more easily manipulated machines and because of the

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Reprography

One of the commonest tasks in the office is that of multiple copying, the requirements ranging from two or three copies to thousands. To meet these varying demands many types of machine have been developed, both duplicators and photocopiers. In fact, advances in the design of photocopiers using electrostatic methods have led to encroachment

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Engaging office staff

Despite the almost universal use of computers and other electronic and mechanised methods of carrying out office work of all kinds, the most important factor in office administration remains the human one. The people in the office are still the most vital element in achieving a satisfactory and efficient office service, without which no

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Managing office staff

The effective management of office personnel, as with other groups of employees, is very much influenced by whether staff feel they are fairly and equitably treated, particularly in regard to pay scales relative to the type of work they do and the personal effort they put into their work. 1. Job Evaluation Because of

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Filing and indexing as services provided by the Office

1. Filing Filing is a commonplace feature of clerical work and is given little consideration until a document is urgently needed and cannot be produced: then its importance is recognised. It has been termed ‘the memory of the business’ which is a very apt description. Filing has two main functions (a) to preserve documents;

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Office Communication

It can be said with truth that nothing can be done without communi­cation: orders, instructions, information, requests all have to be commu­nicated in order that action may be taken on them. Communication is a vital service that the office provides to the organisation. The efficiency with which this function is carried out has a

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Some practical aspects of office communication

Communication takes many forms, some oral and some written, from face-to-face conversations, meetings and the telephone to typewriting and the teleprinter. Communications are conveyed in many ways from dictated tapes to pneumatic tubes, radio to messenger services. Which method to use depends upon circumstances and the factors on which to judge whether any particular

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Office Correspondence

We have discussed the importance of communication and the significant part letter-writing plays in this function. Correspondence is, indeed, an area where the office administrator should pay particular attention. Letters are written to perform two main functions: (a) that of communicating ideas and information; and (b) the recording of that communication in permanent form.

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Office Report writing

According to the dictionary a report is ‘an account or opinion formally expressed, after investigation or consideration’. It will be seen from this definition that a report is considered to be formal and is required to give an account of the matter covered or to state an opinion on it. Sometimes both are required.

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Office systems

An office system may be defined as a series of procedures designed to attain a specific objective. A procedure is a group of related tasks which, together, provide a routine. The differences between a task, a procedure and a system may be stated as follows: A task is a basic operation which, normally, cannot

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Office Organisation and method

Organisation and method has been defined in many ways but perhaps the most succinct is that it is ‘the organised application of common sense applied to office work to avoid or eliminate waste’. The use of the term ‘common sense’ is very relevant here because so many of the problems encountered in O and

Control of work in the office

In order that the office may run in a smooth and efficient manner it is essential that the work carried out be adequate to provide an effective service both from the point of view of quality and of quantity. This being so, it is necessary to establish certain controls to ensure the attainment of

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