Office Layout (Essay Sample)

Office Layout
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The physical layout of the office plays an important role in any business. It creates a specific environment which has an effect on the communication flow, and as the result – on the overall performance of the employees. The structure of the workplace along with other factors can inhibit or invite the information communication between senior management and employees, between workers and departments (Ylisela, 2013, 11).
Pan Paper Scranton is a branch of the Pan Paper Company that is located out of Scranton, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County. The company specializes in paper and office supply distribution, and is focused on providing service for small-business clients. The office of the company is located on the second floor in two-storied building. It occupies the territory of 500 square meters, and each department is provided with its own area, separated with by glass walls.

Pic. 1 (Ylisela, 2013, 29).
This type of construction is efficient, as it reduces the chance for the worker to be disturbed. At the same time the CEO and the manager have the opportunity to see all the employees; this provides constant supervision of work flow and behavior within the entire office. CEO is responsible for giving tasks and monitoring their fulfillment. Each employee has his own e-mail which is intended for the task lists from the CEO. Manager’s job is to maintain order within the office, and he sits at the center of the area, where the main work is done. Even though he is empowered with the supervision functions, he is the equal member of the team. CEO is provided with his own office, where he can make business calls, or have private meetings with business partners. Conference room is the major means of communication, where the team can get together for different purposes: to receive tasks and instructions, discuss plans and work results, take part in training programs, make suggestions and exchange opinions. Also communication is fulfilled through Skype, when there is a need to pass information urgently (Ylisela, 2013, 22).
Working conditions can influence the productivity and the overall performance of the employee in positive or negative way. Apart from working areas, the office contains facilities, such as break room and kitchen, where the workers can have rest and discuss issues in the informal way. Establishing friendly relationships within the staff is the key to creation of favorable working environment. The reception is a buffer zone between the outside world and the staff. Receptionist is responsible for receiving incoming calls and their further allocation. Clients who call at the office my have preference to communicate with particular representative, thus receptionist is to establish this connection. Pan Paper Company has its official website, which is the best way to establish feedback with the clients. Special page is devoted to clients’ questions, opinions and suggestions, and the company is always prepared to react (Ylisela, 2013, 34).
The company’s office layout is perfectly designed to ensure sufficient communication at all levels. Special areas for group work, well-equipped individual places along with comfortable facilities and restrooms enables Pan Paper to maintain healthy communication as one of the key principles.
According to Ylisela, (2013, 55), communication between the various departments is easy since everyone works in the same area minimizing wastage of time while sharing information. Pan Paper employees can easily contact the senior managers and managers regarding various issues of the company. Hence, the ease in communication helps the company to easily recognize and resolve issues leading to more productivity.
This kind of layout promotes the satisfaction of Pa...