SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENT AND FACILITIES

MODULE-2

OFFICE ACCOMMODATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE

 Location of Office.
 Choice of Location: Urban vs Suburban.
 Factors to be considered in Selecting the Site.
 Securing Office Space.

Introduction:

Every office manager is concerned about getting office work performed with the maximum
efficiency and at minimum cost. This would be possible only if he makes a proper selection of
employees, gives them a proper training and guidance, and places them in appropriate jobs.

However, if the office staff is to work efficiently it must be properly accommodated, have a good
working environment, and should be properly equipped with suitable accommodation. Modern
equipment and proper working conditions are not in any way less important factor in improving
efficiency and reducing costs.

The place of work and its surroundings are important factors which affect the efficiency of
employees to a large extent, since staff has to stay for long hours in the office, and since it
mainly does brain work and concentrates on the repetitive and monotonous activities of filling,
indexing, dispatching, reporting etc., it’s inefficiency would normally be greater in those offices
where accommodation is sufficient and the environment and working conditions are congenial.

Meaning of Office Accommodation:

It is the process of selecting appropriate building in a favorable location, establishing different

sections and departments, proving or arranging resources in a scientific way. The purpose of
office accommodation is to create sound working environment and to bring efficiency and
rapidness in office work. It is important for both employees and outsider.

The office accommodation consist of the following factors –

 Office location & building.

 Office layout.
 Size of the office.
 Cost of office accommodation etc..

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

LOCATION OF OFFICE

Location means the place and site where the office of an organization is situated. Proper location
of the office is of great importance to every organization. While taking a decision on this issue,
the management must take into consideration the present as well as future needs. An unsuitable
location adversely affects the efficiency of operations.

Every office manager should give a full and proper consideration to a suitable location for his
office. This location or site is an important consideration because an unsuitable location may
result a waste of resource and efforts and result in loss of time, inconvenience and any one to the
office staff as well as to the persons dealing with it.

Selection of Office Location:

The provision of proper and adequate office location and layout is of basic importance in an
office management. The office manager has to play the major role in determining the
arrangements of office.
The following points should be bear in mind in the selection of office location and layout.

1. The site or location of office building.

2. Securing suitable office building or space.
3. Size and shape of office.
4. Lighting.
5. Layout of office.
6. Ventilation and air condition.
7. Facilities of office.
8. Open office or private office.
9. Staff and customer convenience.
10. Physical conditions of office.
11. Cost of office accommodation or space.
12. Sanitation.
13. Noise.
14. Health.
15. Safety.

Factors in Choosing Location:

The location arises under one or the other of the following conditions
(i) At the time of starting a business enterprise.
(ii) The increased volume of work may require location plan are no longer sufficient for the
expanding business, and therefore, the entire expansion of the existing office or a new location is
necessary.
(iii) The facilities provided in the original location plan are no longer sufficient for the expanding
business, and therefore, the entire expansion of the existing office or a new location is necessary.
From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.
Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

(iv) The lease for the office premises has expired and the owner of the premises is not prepared
to renew it.
(v) Shifting of the business by the business enterprise from one place or one state to another.
Where to Locate Office:

 Urban Location – includes towns, cities of a region. Even areas of taluks and
municipalities can be termed as urban location.

Advantages of Urban Location

1. Easy contact with others offices - It easy to contact government and other offices in the same
area and therein developing business is possible. The important offices include Income Tax
Offices, Sales Tax Office, and Corporation Office Registrar of companies.
2. Increased image – The office can enhance its image because it is in central area.
3. Easy access – It will be more convenient for the customers to approach office without any
difficulty.
4. Transport facilities – The office can avail of transport facilities very easily. Loading,
unloading of luggages and dispatch of goods to various places becomes easy at a comparatively
cheaper rate.
5. Banking, post office and other facilities – Normally, Banks, Postal and Telegraph
department, and Insurance companies choose urban area for providing letter services to
customers. Hence these facilities can be easily availed by offices located in urban areas.
6. Recreational facilities – Recreational facilities are mostly available in urban areas only.
7. Other amenities – Amenities like water supply, prompt communication, electricity, power,
skilled labourers are available more in urban area.
8. Employees preference – There is a general tendency among the staff to prefer to work in a
city.

Disadvantages of Urban Location

1. Overcrowding and congestion – Urban centres are overcrowded and congested with all their
bad consequences.
2. Difficulty to expand business – Expansion facilities are limited on account of increased rent,
unavailability of building in the nearby office.
3. Higher cost – Not only square feet rate is high in cities, but also they have to pay more rent
and more taxes to corporations.
4. Demand for more pay – With higher cost of living, the staff may demand higher wages
resulting in increased expenditure to the office.
5. Polluted atmosphere – Urban centres are always known for their pollution and unhygienic
environment which would affect the health of employees in the long run.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

 Sub-urban Location - Suburban areas are locations that build up around the outside
of cities. They tend to be less densely populated than the cities they surround.

Advantages of Sub-urban Location

1. Payment of lower rent for the office occupied
2. Payment of lower HRA/CCA/DA to employees
3. Further expansion and modernization of office possible
4. Less traffic and less over crowding
5. Proximity to transport routes.

Disadvantages of Sub-urban Location

1. Inadequate service facilities such as banks post and telegraph

offices, railway stations, and markets.
2. Inadequate transport facilities – airport/port/railways.
3. Lack of communication facilities.

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.
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.
From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.
Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

9. All the sections cannot work independently. Hence, the office layout ensues the interlinking
of each sections according to their needs.
10. There must be an adequate space between desks, tables and chairs for free movement of
employees.
11. Noise and disturbing operations should be segregated within the office.
12. Some sections require privacy. The sections may be interview section and inquiry section.
Interview section is dealing with recruitment of staff and inquiry section is dealing with progress
and performance of the existing staff.

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.

Listed are some of the principles to be taken care while designing -

 Natural lighting
Designing offices that face the north or east gets more of natural lighting. It avoids more
consumption of power.
 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.
 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 employee 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.
 Flow of work
By carefully studying the sequences of the tasks to be done, the design of the work space 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.
 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.
 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.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

 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.
 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.
 Informal and formal spaces
Every work space 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
work space that is noisy.
 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 work space and protected.

 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.
 Reduce distances
While figuring out the work space 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 have to be reduced to minimize
costs and energy.

Factors in Office Layout:

An efficient layout of an office can be designed only by the manager. The office manager should
consider the following matters.

Space available.
Number of workers.
Volume of work.
Nature of work.
Number of workers in designation wise.
Types of machine and equipment used.
Flow of work.
Physical appearance.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

The shape of an office is an important consideration. The building or office space may be square,
rectangular, long and narrow or L or U shaped. Generally, square or rectangular space is better
than long or narrow space. The reason is that the latter requires much floor crossing.

Different Types of Office Layouts:

 Open plan office layout

In an Open-Plan office layout, there are no walls or separators between workstations. Instead,
they get defined by furniture in the office area, including cupboards, shelves, cabinets, etc. The
desks may get stacked up side-by-side or replaced altogether with work-tables capable of
facilitating multiple employees at one go.

 The private office layout

A private office layout uses a cellular style workstation, with the interior walls reach up to the
ceiling. It means that these parts are completely sealed off from the rest of the office floor. It is
the most widely preferred seating arrangement for the senior managers of an organization.
Sometimes more than one manager would share a private office.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

 Cubicle office layout

A cubicle office layout is the most used type. It is a type of open plan layout where the
workspaces are separated from one another using partitioning walls to form a shape of a cube,
hence cubicle. It is the most cost-efficient type of office layout. You can see this type of plan in
combination with private offices for senior staff and built-in meeting rooms.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

 Co-working office Layout

It is one of the greatest innovations in office layout designing in this century. These plans are
best for the self-employed who generally are mobile with their work. What’s more, is that you
don’t need to create this workspace; but pay a small fee and find a workstation you like or a spot
on the lounge.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

Benefits of Good Office Layouts:

1. Economic stabilization of your business through cost reduction in office maintenance;

2. Better morale and goodwill with both employees and clients;

3. Improved workforce efficiency through the best possible use of office machines and
equipment;

4. Improved production due to better supervision;

5. Enhanced inter-departmental communication through proper use of floor space.

“OR”
Advantages of a good office layout:

The following advantages can be derived by having planned layout

 Better Goodwill.
 Better Morale.
 Reduction of Cost in Office Maintenance.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.
SMDC – BCA 1st – FOM [OEC] – M 2 - 2022

 Economic Stabilization.
 Promotes Efficiency.
 Improves Quality of Supervision.
 Best Uses of equipment and Machines and Equipment.
 Speeding of Inter-department Communication.

From the desk of R H GURUPRASAD BABU., MBA, MPHIL, NET, MCOM.

Asst. Prof, Dept. of Commerce & Management
Shree Medha Degree College, Fort, Ballari.