The work environment affects administrative professionals psychologically, sociologically and physically whether a traditional or modern office design is applied.  The traditional (closed) design is usually referred to as the private office.  Business personnel requiring private space have offices separated from the general work area.  The modern design is usually referred to as the open office.  Two open office approaches, office landscaping and modular, design the work area without permanent walls and with flexible furniture and aisle space to accommodate the communication flows throughout the division.  The design of home work areas typically tends to reflect the open office arrangement since a portion of the living space may be remodelled or rearranged into a comfortable workspace.

An office environment needs to be planned so business professionals are able to function effectively and productively.  The following factors should be considered before any long range decisions about the office environment are made:

• Strategic planning for the business
• Cost of work area design
• Job functions
• Computer requirements
• Employee expectations

Types of office designs

The private office

The private office design is known as the traditional (closed) design or bull pen approach.  Business professionals are typically housed in offices separated from general office areas where office support personnel are located.

The traditional office layout is made up of individual offices that are “built-in” meaning that they are permanent or semi-permanent.  This style of office layout will include a combination of enclosed offices and meeting spaces with a more open reception area for receiving customers.

The open office

The open office situates business professionals and functions in relatively open areas to accommodate the workflow and communication required.  The open office design is characterised by these features:  large open areas of workspace with only a minimum of permanent walls, use of modular furniture systems, clustering of workspaces and the use of accent colours to enhance the work area décor.  Two popular approaches are office landscaping and the modular office.

• Office landscaping – this office places primary emphasis on analysing office procedures and controlling workflow.
• Modular office – in this type of open-office design, office furniture is creatively used in the workspace to meet the specific needs of the employee. The modular office is also referred to as the modern office.

Office layouts

• Home office– are more popular than ever as flex-time and work from home programs have made it possible. The layout of your home office requires careful consideration as well to make it an efficient and productive place for you to get your work done. Ergonomics is also important to the telecommuter’s home work area. The open office is the most typical arrangement.
• Hot desking – with some offices in use only 10 to 20 percent of the time, workspace designers have recommended that the space be shared by two or more employees. This approach, known as hot desking, can reduce office space costs for organisations.  Hoteling and modelling are two hot desking alternatives.  Hoteling is an open office design with unassigned desks.  A business professional needs to call in advance to pre-book a workspace for a specific period of time.  Motelling is similar, but does not require pre-booking.  Business personnel arrive at the organisation and arrange for their workspace needs ‘on the spot’.
• Cubicle office – a type of open office plan where the workspaces are created using partition walls on 3 sides to form a box or “cubicle”. This style of workspace is more space and cost efficient compared to built-in offices. It is typically used in combination with built-in meeting rooms and private offices for senior staff.
• Low partition office – the more modern version of the cubicle office, where the height of the partition walls around the workspaces is lower to allow for more light and interaction between workers. Like a cubicle office layout, it may include built-in meeting rooms and offices if more privacy is required.
• Team based office – a newer type of layout where workers are grouped by team. The size and space allocated to each team vary depending on the type of work that needs to get done. A team workspace will often include individual workstations and a collaboration space. This reduces the need for meeting rooms.
• Open plan office – does away with partition walls altogether. Instead, work areas are created and defined using furniture. Desks may be lined up side by side to create “banks” or they may be replaced with multi-person work tables called “benches”. Tables and lounge seating are used to create informal meeting and collaboration areas. The appeal of this type of office is that it is very flexible and can expand, contract and be reconfigured easily.
• Hybrid office – combines elements of all the above office styles based on the needs of your company. Think of creating your office layout as if you had a menu, from which to pick and choose different “environments” based on the needs of your company. Innovative new office systems are making this more possible and easier than ever.
• Co-working office – one of the great workplace innovations of this century. They allow you access to all the aspects of a modern office without you having to create it yourself. Instead, you pay a monthly fee to become a member. Just sign in and find a workstation or spot in the lounge. Like a hybrid office, a co-work office layout will offer a range of workspaces from open lounge areas to private offices and meeting rooms.