OFFICE PRACTICE - By Dr. I. S.

Rogo-SMS
What is an office?
Preamble or Introduction.
In every well organize business, there is the need for the record of its activities to be
kept and protected it. It is in the office that such activities that carry out and its
record kept.
What is the definition of office?
The term office is defined by Geoffrey White Head as a room or building where
clerical process are carried out to develop and to control the many activities of
business.
Ronald Watson described an office as a place where information is receive, sorted,
acted upon filed possessed on etc.
Office Types,
1. Open or Large Office
2. Close or Cubicle office
Large 01 Open office.
This is an partition large office floor space meant to contain a sizeable number of
office personnel performing related functions in administrative, clerical, secretarial
etc. fields' e.g. Banks, insurance end rnaii companies commonly adopt the open
office pattern, e.g. Banks and insur^ve,
Close or Cubicle Office.
This is small room compartment usually met,,"it or one executive staff only. The
open close space is partitioned into small rooms with size and amenities contain
dependent on the status of the occupant.
Advantage of an Open Office,
1) It is basically economical or cost saving through shared equipment and
partition/dividend.
2) It encourages and strengthening both official arid private interpersonal
relationship.

3) It makes for easier staff monitoring supervision and control.

4) It makes re-arrangement of office more affordable easily adopted.
5) It fasters smooth work flow and human traffic.
Disadvantages of an Open Office
1) It is characteristically noisy, the slates noise or distraction of one table course
general distraction and discomfort.
2) It is lack of privacy or private or confidential discussion.
3) It is not easy to provide ventilation to satisfy everybody needs.
4) Easy to be contaminated with contagious disease like leprosy, tuberculosis etc.
5) Maximum utilization of office close space may result in overcrowding hence
discomfort.
Close Office.
Close or cubicle or private or conventional office is a small room compartment
usually meant for 1 executive staff only, but is may be 3 or more staff as the case.
The open close space is partitioned in smaller rooms with size and amenities
contain depending on the status of the occi[pant.
Advantages of Close Office.
1) It offers and enhances the staff status and prestige.
2) It enhances concentration resulting in increase productivity.
3) Office is arranged to suite occupant test.
4) The occupant alone is responsible and liable for mishandling of office contain.
5) It tempts to be more orderly and offers a more business like approach
performance.
Disadvantage of Close office.
1) It is di,seconomical in terms of course to establish.
2) It discourages strengthening both official and private interpersonal
relationship.
3) Supervision and control of staff is not easy.
4) Some of the executive may abuse having an office to themselves.

Function of the Office.

In respect of the size business offices are similar both in purpose and cooperation. The
method use to get task done may differ from one department to another within the same
organization but work responses are relatively the same.
The following are the function performs in the office.
I. Receiving Information
II. Recording Information
III. Arranging & Processing Information
IV. Providing the Information
V. Safe guarding of Information
1. Receiving Information
Business offices receive one kind of information or the other. This information usually
comes inform of letters, telephone or telegraphic calls, orders, enquiries, invoices,
reports on various activities of the organization etc.
2. Recording Information.
Message receive either through letters, telephone, memorandum etc are recorded in the
office. In the relevant forms. The office keeps of information on different subject e.g.
Business transacted, personal record.
3. Arranging & Processing information.
The information communicated by office from different sources is processed it is the
responsibility of the office to supply inform, which best serve the management.
4. Providing/ Giving Information.
It is one of the function of every office to see that people an organization needing
information; get it at the required time. Such information as may be required information
but employees are rules and regulations, circulars regarding new developments or
meeting, safety regulation etc. It is only through effective communication means
information properly disseminated.
5. Safeguarding Information.
It is not receiving and processing that is of important to office, what is the most
important is safeguarding the information. The office has the responsibility of observing
the affairs of the business as shown in the record, keeping staff record, decision vital
information should be kept appropriately and sincerely.

Office Organisation.
Duties and responsibilities of an office
1) Division of Labour.
This is a task perform by every member of staff of the organization.
2) Unity of Objective.
Unity of objective of organization the effort toward organization objective the
performance of every person should geared towards achieving the goals.
3) Unity of Commands
One supervisor should e give in to one individual to avoid frustration of two
supervisor. Directives from one supervision, not to take two instructions from two
supervisors.
4) Span of Control
Refers to a number of subordinate responsible answerable to a supervisor, i.e. 4-6
people depend on the kind of job that determine.
5) Span of Responsibility
Every member of organization has delegated a kind of responsibility of duties.
6) Level of Authority.
Authority is the power given to a staff person to make decision and take action
authority i.e. given approval i.e. from N1000 - N10,000
7) Division of Labour.
A member of organization to become a specialist, a particular member of staff
should perform one work always.

S) Absoluteness of Responsibility.
Person assigned to any responsibility must be responsible or answerable
for the outcome of his action.
9) Accountability.
The ability to give account of what you have performed in your own responsibility as
a staff member of the organization
10) Office Organization.
Office organization is refereeing to the duties is defines and responsibility
of a particular of staff in a given office.
11) Office Planning & Layout.
This is how personnel and furniture's are arranged in the office
OFFICE STRUCTURE.
By office structure we mean the best way or the ease with which departments in an
organization can be located so that maximum use can be made of both human and
natural resources available for work in the office.
In structuring an office, some considerations must be rnet:-
a. Department that work together should be close to one another. These however,
may not be necessary where intercom is provided.
b. Heavy traffic department should locate near the reception area so that they will
have direct access from outside. E.g. of such departments are personnel, sales,
purchasing, public relations etc.
c. Central typing or typing pool, mail and messenger services which are all service
department should be located in the most central position.
d. Conference/interview rooms, board room should free from noise. These rooms
should be located in such a way that no offices that are likely to make noise are
located near them.

OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE.
Is any writing or Digital communication exchanged by 2 or more parties
correspondence, it may come inform of letters, e-mails, text messages, voice mails,
note or post card.(This is a form of communication in organization), office can be
easier in coming mail or outgoing correspondence. Examples of the office
correspondence are:-
1. Letters.
This is written message use to pass information from one organization to another
organization.
2. E-maiis.
This is a system of sending writing information through computer network.
3. Text of Multimedia Message.
This is a means of sending writing information though mobile phones.
4. Voice Mails.
It is a way of sending vocal message from one person to another.
5. Memos.
This is used to send writing information within a particular organization.
6. Circular.
This is used to communicate writing information among department of an
organization.
7. Reports.
This is usually obtained when a committee set up. to carry out certain functions.
8. Notice.
It is writing information pasted usually on the notice board or send to individual
people for the purpose of invitation, information of enlightenment.

SORTING OUT OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE.

1. Incoming Mails.
Correspondences receive in an organization can be sorted out using the following
ways.
2. All correspondences it must be registered in oncoming mails registered.
3. All letters should be open atleast 45 minutes before the commencement of work
(Official and formal).
4. Special mails.
(i.e. those marked Private, Confidential, Special etc), are then sorted according to
section or department without opening(all these you have not right to open it).
5. Envelopes are open manually or using letter open machine.
6. The contained are then fast to the Supervisor for checking.
7. All incoming letters are then stamped with date and time.
8. All enclosures should be recorded in the appropriate register.
9. Distribution of the mails to various section or department.
OUTGOING MAILS.
The procedures of outgoing mails includes:-
1. All outgoing correspondence must to be checked to make sure they are well
address and duly signed.
2. All outgoing correspondence mails must to be registered in outgoing register.
3. Letters should be then inserted into envelopes (where necessary).
4. Appropriate means of sending correspondence should be adopted (i.e. by the
post office, courier services, dispatched riders etc).