Office workers must be able to manage work effectively to be productive.  The lighting and the way materials and the work area are arranged affect your work.  Most companies do try and provide comfortable and safe work areas for their office employees.  Employees should keep the work area well organized.  They should also be aware of safety and security issues that affect workers in an office.

Arrange your work area to give easy access to the items used frequently.  A computer keyboard, telephone, supplies and reference material should be within easy reach.  Many companies use modular workstations.  These workstations are made up of parts that can be put together in various ways.  Wall panels, storage areas and a desktop surface are typical workstation parts.

Desktop area

Keep your workstation’s surface clear.  Clutter on the desktop can cause unnecessary delays as you search for paper or objects.  Remove materials that do not relate to your current project.  Put descriptive labels on file folders and place documents in the folders where they are not needed.  Place the folders in you file drawers.

Arrange your equipment and supplies to allow easy access so that you avoid making unnecessary movements.  Keep frequently used supplies, such as pencils and paper clips in a caddy on the surface of your work area.  Reaching for the caddy is more efficient than opening and closing a drawer each time you need an item.

Drawers

Reserve your center drawer for frequently used supplies, such as a letter opener, scissors and paper clips that are needed on the surface area.  Arrange the contents of the centre drawer so that the most frequently used supplies are toward the front where you can reach them easily.

The top side drawer may be used to store stationery supplies or to lay file folders containing current work so that they are at hand when you need them.  You avoid cluttering the desktop by putting the file folders in a specific location on your desk.  In this way, you can protect any confidential items.

A desk also may contain either a file drawer or additional side drawers.  A file drawer can be used to store files that are referred to often but are not in current use.  Other drawers can be used to store supplies.

Reference materials

The nature of your job will determine which references you will use most often.  Some items may be in print form.  Others may be accessed via your computer.  Reference materials that should be at your workstation may include a dictionary, telephone directories, company and office reference manuals, safety handbooks and equipment and software manuals.  Other reference items used less often may include an almanac, atlas and vendor supply catalogues.

Supplies and accessories

Office employees use a variety of supplies and accessories to do their job.  The right resources help you perform your job more efficiently.  What you need at your workstation will depend on your particular job.  An adequately stocked workstation is essential to your productivity.  If you run out of supplies in the middle of a critical task, you could lose valuable work time by stopping to gather needed supplies.  Also, you run the risk of not completing the task on time.  Use supplies properly for best results and to save money.

Use these guidelines:

• Select the quality of the supply according to the nature and importance of the task. For example, if you are preparing a rough draft of an important letter, don’t use expensive letterhead paper.  Use a lower quality paper for the rough draft and the letterhead paper for the final copy
• Learn to read the product labels for the correct use of a product. For example:  Paper designed for use in a laser printer may not work well in an inkjet printer.
• Look for ways to conserve supplies. For example:  Reuse file folders by placing new file folder labels over old ones.  To save paper, preview documents carefully on screen before printing.
• Do not keep more supplies that you need in your workstation. Check your workstation periodically.  If you have not used a supply item in several weeks, perhaps it should be returned to the supply cabinet.

Office equipment

The condition of your office equipment affects the quality of your work.  You will want to keep your equipment in top working order.  To get dependable service from your equipment, you will need to do preventative maintenance and give your equipment routine care.  This involves servicing equipment and replacing parts while the equipment is working properly in order to prevent failure.  Few repairs are necessary when equipment is cared for properly on a regular basis.  By caring for equipment properly, you can extend the life of the equipment.

Learn how to use and care for the equipment properly.  Read and understand the manufacturer’s operating instructions.  Follow the care guidelines so that you are able to recognize and correct minor problems.

Inspect and clean equipment regularly.  Know the basic care routines your equipment requires.  Make repairs as needed.

Report problems immediately to the appropriate person.  Many minor problems can be corrected before they become serious and require costly repair.