The document discusses different office layouts and flexible working arrangements. It describes cellular and open-plan office layouts, noting their advantages and disadvantages. It also covers teleworking, homeworking, flexi-time, and hot-desking arrangements that allow employees to work remotely or flexible hours. The case study focuses on changing an organization's finance department from a cellular to open-plan layout to improve communication, teamwork and supervision.

1. Office Layout Unit 2A SG Admin

2. Learning Outcomes What do we mean by Office Layout? Cellular Office Layout Open-Plan Office Layout Teleworking Homeworking Flexi-Time Hot-Desking

3. What do we mean by Office Layout? The office layout is the environment in which employees work. It determines the following: The way in which resources are placed in the office eg: employees; desks; equipment. The amount of space provided.

4. Types of Office Layout There are 2 main types of office layout: CELLULAR this is a very traditional style of layout OPEN-PLAN also known as flexible layout

5. Cellular (Traditional) Layout This type of layout has the following features: Small rooms Office consists of 1 or 2 employees

6. Caledonian Health & Fitness Caledonian Health & Fitness currently operate in a CELLULAR office layout. Each department ( functional areas you looked at in Unit 1b ) has its own cellular office. Let’s look at the Finance Department: Mrs L McKenna Finance Manager Mr B Goodman Wages Officer

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Finance Department working in a cellular office? More PRIVACY – Mrs McKenna and Mr Goodman can discuss financial matters without others overhearing More SECURE – Mrs McKenna and Mr Goodman can leave files lying around as they are the only people who have access to their office Their OWN ENVIRONMENT – Mrs McKenna and Mr Goodman can organise their own resources and design their own working environment eg, where they sit; where filing cabinet is positioned etc. ADVANTAGES

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Finance Department working in a cellular office? Staff can feel ISOLATED – Mr Goodman wishes he had someone to talk to, Mr McKenna is always away attending meetings Staff may NOT FEEL PART OF A TEAM – Mr Goodman feels that his work doesn’t really involve working closely with others Mrs McKenna and Mr Goodman have a very BUSY office – there is very limited space to store all their equipment eg. Files; desks; PCs etc DISADVANTAGES

9. Mr Burns has Made A Decision! Mr Burns has found it very difficult to supervise all his managers as they are all working away in their own offices He also feels that he doesn’t know his employees as well as he should He decides that it is time to create a stronger team ethos and have everyone working together. He decides it’s time to change to an …………………………………… Open Plan Layout

10. Open Plan (Flexible) Layout This type of layout has the following features: Employees from different departments work together in the same larger area In order to give some privacy screens/dividers are used

11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Finance Department working in an open plan office? Easier to COMMUNICATE with others BETTER USE OF SPACE – resources are able to be shared eg photocopier; fax; printers etc Easier to SUPERVISE staff – Mr Burns will develop a better working relationship with his subordinates TEAM ETHOS – staff will be encouraged to work together ADVANTAGES

12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Finance Department working in an open plan office? SECURITY – theft may be more of a problem; it may be easier for unauthorised personnel to access confidential files LACK OF PRIVACY – phone conversations, meetings etc can be overheard easily Staff may find it difficult to MANAGE THEIR TIME effectively as there are too many distractions DISADVANTAGES

13. Activities Complete the following tasks in your activities booklet: Question 1: Types of Office Layout Question 2: Cellular Office and Open-Plan Layout Question 3: Decisions regarding choice of layout Question 4: Problem solving Question 5: Word Bank

14. Different ways of working So far we have discussed the two main types of office layout however there are other methods of working that employers can now offer their employees: TELEWORKING HOMEWORKING

15. What is Teleworking? Teleworking enables employees to work away from the business either from home or whilst they are travelling This type of work would suit those employees who have specialist skills and need to travel a lot eg: Journalist Graphic Designer Tasks are often carried out electronically and sent into the office by e-mail

16. If Mr Burns were to introduce Teleworking to the employees at Caledonian Health & Leisure, what factors would he have to consider? COSTS Employees would need to be provided with equipment which would need to be checked regularly Important that all employees are trained so that they can carry out their tasks effectively TIME It takes a long time to train all employees STAFF WELFARE Employees must feel comfortable in their working environment – they may feel isolated Employees need ongoing support – eg if software has a virus HEALTH & SAFETY Employees must use the health & safety guidelines when using ICT equipment wherever they work

17. What is Homeworking? Homeworking enables staff to work from their home This is ideal for those staff who are able to carry out their day-to-day tasks on their own and do not require any supervision This method of employment is ideal for those employees who have to work around family commitments eg taking children to school as they do not have to worry about traffic jams etc

18. If Mr Burns were to introduce Homeworking to the employees at Caledonian Health & Leisure, what factors would he have to consider? COSTS May need to provide Hot Desks to provide employees with a workstation when they are required to come into the workplace TIME It is essential that employees meet their deadlines – managers have to ensure that this happens STAFF WELFARE Employees must feel comfortable in their working environment – they may feel isolated Employees need ongoing support – eg if software has a virus HEALTH & SAFETY Employees must use the health & safety guidelines when using ICT equipment wherever they work

19. Activities Complete the following tasks in your activities booklet: Question 6: Cost and benefits analysis of teleworking Question 7: Homeworking

20. Different ways of working There are two further types of working methods that Mr Burns can offer his employees who are working within the workplace: FLEXI-TIME HOT-DESKING

21. What is Flexi-Time? Flexi-time enables employees to have more FLEXIBILITY in their working hours Instead of working 9 am – 5 pm you can work from 7 am – 3 pm or 10 am – 6 pm This gives the employee an extra 30 minutes to carry out certain tasks before going to work eg: Avoid the rush hour Do the school run Attend a Doctor appointment Visit the Bank Manager

22. What is Hot-Desking? Hot-Desking is used to provide employees who work away from the office a workstation when they return for meetings This enables management to use office space effectively Employees simply book a desk in advance and use the organisation’s resources (fax; PC) to help prepare them for their meeting

23. Activities Complete the following tasks in your activities booklet: Question 8: Flexitime Question 9: Hot Desking Question 10: Define the terms