The Office: Meaning, Types, Kinds And Functions Of An Office

What Is An Office?

An office is a place where administrative, clerical or official duties are carried out.
Every organization both big and small has an office where the administrative and other important official functions concerning the organization are carried out.

Types Of Office

There are two main types of office, They are:

1. Small office
And
2) Large office

(1) Small Office: An office is small when the scope of activities carried out in it is small or minimal. This implies that the physical size of an office does not really determine how big or small an office is.

(2) Large Office: An office is large when the scope of activities carried out in it is numerous or big. Unlike the small office, the staff strength of a large office is usually big, Different people handle different duties.

Kinds Of Office

1. Closed/Private office
2. Open office.

(1) Closed/Private Office: This is an office specifically built to accommodate one or two persons. In this kind of office, a high level of privacy is maintained and visitors do not get into it as they please.

A good example of close office is the principals office in a secondary school.

(2) Open Office: This is an office usually large and spacious where many workers stay and work. It is generally referred to as a general office.

Example of an open office is the staff room in a secondary school.

Functions Of An Office

In an office, different functions are been carried out. Such functions ranges from receiving, recording, processing, arranging and safe guarding the company’s information as well as supervisory and accounting functions.

The following are the basic functions of an officer:

1} Receiving Information: The Office through the various sources such as letters, parcels, invoices, telephone calls, fax and through personal contact with people that visit the organization receives information.

2} Recording Information: Information received are recorded and kept safe. The essence of keeping the records is to make them readily available when needed by the management, staff and even clients of the organization.

3} Processing Information: For effective and adequate use of the information received and recorded by an organization. It must be processed by breaking it down in a way that it would be understand by those who would use them.

4} Arranging Information: Having collected, recorded and processed the information, they are not left to scatter about or left in a disorderly way. Information collected must be kept decently and in order. They must be arranged through collecting, sorting, grouping and filing.

5} Safeguarding The Company’s Information And Assets: The functions of an office do not end in collecting, recording, processing and arranging information.

Unsafe guarded information is as good as collecting no information and this may jeopardize the company.

Information collected must be kept safe through filing and the company’s secret must be kept away from unconcerned persons.