OA

• Staff deployment


  The way that people are allocated various duties and responsibilities. These duties should be appropriate to their job title/level of job and contribute to the efficient, cost-effective running of the business.
• Office organisation


  Ensuring all important tasks are done promptly and efficiently, with no confusing overlaps between staff, so that each person knows what their colleagues are doing and who to communicate with about different tasks, and everyone knows who is in charge.
• Office structure


  • In a small office there may be one person doing the accounts and another person answering customer enquiries. In a large business, several employees will do accounts work and they may be in a separate department. Other departments may include administration, human resources, IT, customer services, sales and marketing, purchasing, operations and despatch.
• Organisation chart


  Identifies different staff roles and their relationships to each other, with senior staff who run the business always at the top and lines down the chart showing authority.
• Subordinate


  Someone below you on the organisation chart for whom you are the line manager.
• Line manager


  The person above you on the organisation chart who is connected to you by a vertical line.
• Centralisation


  When a specialist section carries out a specific task for the whole company, such as reprographics, word processing or records management.
• Decentralisation


  When each department carries out certain activities itself, such as the finance and HR departments doing their own photocopying and filing.
• Span of control


  The number of subordinates a manager has to control. If there are too many subordinates, the manager may struggle to cope.
• Types of office layout

  • Traditional (private offices), open-plan (cubicles), and virtual (only in cyberspace).
• Ergonomics


  The layout of a room, or the design of an item (such as furniture or equipment) to maximise user comfort and safety.
• Ergonomic considerations in the office


  • Furniture situated away from doors/exits, sufficient staff space, clear aisles/walkways, easy access to equipment, desk size, noise control, cable management, comfortable seating, good lighting, ventilation and temperature control.
• Ergonomic issues can lead to cuts, bruises, electric shocks, musculoskeletal disorders, and eye strain/migraines.
• Even with ergonomic design, staff have a responsibility to use equipment carefully and obey health and safety regulations.
• Types of office equipment

  • For document creation (voice recorders, computers), communicating documents (scanners, fax), making copies (printers, photocopiers), preparing professional documents (guillotine, laminator, binding machine), destroying sensitive papers (shredder), and multimedia presentations (digital camera, computer).
• The type and size of office equipment depends on the business needs and volume of use.
• Voice recorder


  Slim, portable gadget used to create audio files that can later be downloaded onto a computer. Used to record discussions at meetings, notes, ideas, dictated letters and memos. Many students use them to record lectures.
• Computer


  Enables office staff to create, edit and save many types of documents quickly and easily. Documents can be multi-page and contain charts, diagrams, illustrations and photographs.
• Computers


  • Have made life easier for students and office workers alike and have contributed to the overall efficiency of every office
• Document scanner


  Makes an electronic copy of a document or photograph that can be saved in a computer file or transmitted as an email attachment.
• Facsimile machine (fax)


  Scans documents and simultaneously transmits the digital images to another fax machine, enabling photographs and documents to be sent around the world quickly and easily.
• Inkjet printer


  Smaller, cheaper and usually slower printer that works by shooting very fine jets of ink onto the surface of the paper. Most take two ink cartridges - one containing coloured ink and the other containing black ink.
• Laser printer

  Generally larger and more expensive printer that operates more quickly and produces crisper print quality. Each printer may be used by several workstations. Laser printers use toner cartridges and work by shining a laser beam onto a special drum and using the toner to create an image on the paper.
• Printers

  • Impact printers (such as dot matrix) are mainly used for printing multi-part forms and are slow, unable to print in colour. Plotters are used to print posters or technical drawings prepared on computer using special software.
• Photocopier


  Standard item in all offices used to make copies of many types of document, such as those received in the mail or stored in the files. Also useful for making multiple copies of computer printouts.
• Photocopiers


  • Vary tremendously in size, speed and features from small desktop models to large sophisticated machines that link to the computer network. Many provide two-sided copies, enable copies to be reduced or enlarged, and collate and automatically staple multiple pages. Some print in colour.
• Risograph


  Often used for large-volume copying because they are quicker (up to 130 pages per minute), easy to use, and the cost per copy is much less than using a photocopier or laser printer. They need less maintenance than many photocopiers and produce multiple copies in colour as cheaply as in black and white.
• Equipment to prepare professional documents/booklets


  • Guillotine or paper trimmer
  • Laminator
  • Binding machines (thermal, comb, wire, slide)
• Shredder


  Device used to destroy sensitive or confidential documents so that they cannot be read. Cross-cut shredders are more effective than strip-cut shredders because they slice the document in two directions rather than one.
• Digital camera


  Enables the user to take digital images that can be uploaded to a computer, used in presentation software or printed.
• Projector


  Needed to display computer-generated images or presentations on a large screen. The chosen projector should enable high-quality images to be shown from a distance.
• Skills


  Abilities you have learned that usually require regular practice
• Desirable skills for office workers

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Computer literacy and proficiency in using productivity tools
  • Effective communication
  • Time management
  • Analytical problem-solving
  • Obtaining information needed to solve problems
• Literacy


  The ability to read and write
• Planning aids to help you to establish priorities and complete tasks on time include a diary, a planner chart and a computerised follow up system
• Desirable attitudes for office workers

  • Teamwork
  • Tolerance and appreciation of diversity
  • Being safety conscious, environmentally aware and socially responsible
• Teamwork


  A group of people who have the same aim, work together cooperatively to achieve that aim, and help and support each other - especially if there is a problem
• Desirable attributes for office workers

  • Regularity/punctuality
  • Positive work ethic
  • Integrity, honesty, confidentiality
  • Willingness
  • Deportment
  • Self esteem, confidence
• Regularity/punctuality

  Never being late for work and only being absent for a genuine reason, so people can rely on you
• Good relationships at work enable everyone to be more productive