The WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The open-plan office means most employees work in the same space. Their desks might be arranged so that people in the same team or department are near to each other. Partitions or screens can be used to make separate work spaces. This is the way most offices are organised. Some of the advantages of this office plan include:
Some disadvantages include:
The cellular office uses lots of small office spaces where one usually works alone. They will be able to close their door and work privately. In a cellular office the environment would look and feel very different from the open-plan system.
Some advantages of this office plan include:
Some disadvantages include:
Most offices will use a combination of open-plan and cellular workspace. How it is organised will depend on the following issues:
Sometimes offices will be planned so that as many people as possible can work in a space where they can work more efficiently.
- Employees can work together as a team as it is easy to communicate with the people they work with.
- People feel less isolated and more aware of what is happening in their workspace.
- Faxes, printers, photocopiers and other equipment can easily be shared.
- Managers are more accessible.
- It is easier to supervise other people as they can be seen and they can easily ask for help from their manager.
Some disadvantages include:
- It can be noisy which can be distracting for employees.
- There is a lack of privacy which makes confidential conversations more difficult.
- Some employees might feel that they are being 'watched' by their managers.
- It might be easier to lose or mislay documents in a busy environment shared with others.
The cellular office uses lots of small office spaces where one usually works alone. They will be able to close their door and work privately. In a cellular office the environment would look and feel very different from the open-plan system.
Some advantages of this office plan include:
- The work environment is quiet and private.
- Meetings can be held privately, which may make the people involved feel more comfortable.
- For some people 'higher up' the business structure, their own office is seen as a sign of their seniority.
- Security is better as documents and files are less likely to be moved by others and the office might be lockable.
Some disadvantages include:
- It is harder for a manager to supervise the work of others as they are not physically in the same space.
- More equipment might need to be bought, such as printers and photocopiers, as sharing is less practical.
- Some people may feel isolated and not in touch with what is going on in the rest of the workplace.
- Social time is restricted to break and lunchtimes.
Most offices will use a combination of open-plan and cellular workspace. How it is organised will depend on the following issues:
- Team Working - In many businesses people work together in teams. The open-plan office is better suited for this function.
- Creativity - For creativity to work well a cellular space could be more useful as they have their own room, but open-plan within that room could allow a group to work on a variety of tasks.
Sometimes offices will be planned so that as many people as possible can work in a space where they can work more efficiently.