Functions of a Modern Office

Functions of a Modern Office

An office is primarily concerned with collection and supply of information. Accurate and up to date information relating to organisation and other agencies affecting the organisation is always required for taking decisions and formulating policies. Besides, office has assumed many other responsibilities, such as safe guarding assets, personnel management, and procurement of assets etc., which are incidental to the primary function.

Therefore, the functions of a modern office may be classified into two categories:

(a) Basic functions, and (b) Administrative functions.

Basic functions

Basic functions are those functions of an office which need to be performed in all types of organisations. They are mainly related to receiving and giving of information. These basic functions are as follows:

1. Collecting information. The office receives or collects information about various activities of the organisation. The information may be collected from internal or external sources. Internal sources may be employees and various departments of the organisation. The external sources are customers, suppliers and Government Departments etc. From internal sources information may be received in the form of letters, circulars, reports etc., and external sources provide information through letters, orders, invoices, inquiries, reports, questionnaires etc. The executives of the organisation may also collect information while visiting other organisations.

2. Recording information. The office keeps record of information collected from various sources to make it readily available to the management. The information is kept in the form of correspondence, reports, statements, circulars, lists, charts, registers, books, etc. An office has also to maintain records as prescribed under law. The registered office of a company is required to maintain Register of Members under the Companies Act, 1956.

3. Arranging, analysing and processing the information. The information collected in an office is generally not in the form in which it may be used by the management. Therefore, facts and figures collected have to be arranged, processed, organised and analysed to make them useful to the management. In this connection financial statement, statistical statements, charts, lists, reports, summaries are prepared.

4. Preserving Information. The information is properly sorted out and preserved in the most economic and scientific manner. Various types of equipments, filing cabinets, etc. are used for preserving records. Unnecessary and out-dated records are destroyed to make space for new and valuable records.

5. Supplying information. All accumulated and processed information is useless unless it is communicated. The office serves as a two way channel for communication. On the one hand, it supplies the collected, recorded and processed information to the management and on the other hand, the policy decisions, guidelines and instructions issued by the management to the departments are also routed through the office. The information may be supplied verbally or in writing.

Administrative Functions

Administrative functions are in addition to the basic functions. But the office cannot hope to work smoothly without them. These relate to the tasks of protecting and safeguarding assets, maintaining and enhancing the operating efficiency, stationery control, choice and

use of the office equipments and selection, training, placement, and remuneration of the personnel etc. The following functions are normally considered as administrative functions of an office:-

1. Management functions. Various functions of management are also applicable to the management of an office functions. Office work has to be planned, organised and executed according to the plan. Control is exercised to ensure efficiency of operations in the office. Staffing, directing, communicating, co-ordination, motivating are also important for the management of offices.

2. Instituting office systems and routines An office has to develop systems and procedures for providing better services to other departments. Each phase of office work is carefully analysed and a proper procedure is developed for it. Proper sequencing of different tasks is necessary to ensure continuous flow of work.

3. Procuring stationery and supplies Adequate supply of office stationery of proper quality is necessary for the efficient performance of office work. The office purchases standard quality paper, pens, ink and other stationery items, maintains the stock and issues them only on demand.

4. Designing and control of office forms Use of standardized forms simplifies office operations. It is the responsibility of the office to design, standardize, provide and control the forms to be used in the office as well as in other departments of the enterprise.

5. Purchasing office equipments and furniture Efficient and economical performance of office work requires proper furniture, equipment and machines. Office has to arrange for selection and purchase of these items from reliable suppliers. It has also to ensure timely availability of furniture etc., to departments and employees to facilitate proper utilization, as well as arrange for maintenance, servicing and replacement according to need.

6. Safeguarding of Assets Different types of assets are maintained in an organization. The assets must be protected against damages and losses on account of fire, theft etc. An efficient control system is exercised by office to safeguard the assets.

7. Personnel Management The efficiency of office work depends very much on the employees. Their appointment, training, promotion, appraisal and welfare are the functions of the office.

8. Maintaining Public Relations An organization depends on public reputation and goodwill for its existence and progress. Maintaining public relations is also the responsibility of the office. Most organizations have reception counters to greet and receive visitors to the organization. The above are some of the more important functions of office. The nature of functions differs from organization to organization as per needs.

IMPROTANCE OF AN OFFICE

The importance of an office is discussed below:

1. Office as a service centre Office provides the services of typing, duplicating, printing, providing information from records, supplying forms and stationery etc. No organisation can work smoothly without these services. Therefore, office is sometimes referred to as a service department.

2. Office as a memory centre All types of information are arranged and preserved in the office and supplied to management as and when required. Various transactions and activities of the organisation which are on record are preserved by the office. Therefore, office may be described as the memory centre, information centre or brain of an organisation.

3. Office as a channel of communication It is through the office that communication, especially written communication, takes place between different departments and different levels of the organisation. An organisation would fail, in spite of the best organisational resources, if the communication system is not effective.

4. Office as a co-ordinator Office maintains links with all the departments of an organization and keeps every department informed about what is happening in other departments. Thus, it provides the basis of co-ordination between departments. For example, office informs the production department about changing tastes and fashion in the market as revealed by the market survey conducted by marketing department. Similarly marketing department is supplied information about the cost of production to fix appropriate prices.

5. Office as a controller Control is a necessary function of management executed through office. It requires (i) establishment of standards, (ii) measurement of performance against the standard (iii) ascertainment of deviation, and (iv) correction of deviations from standards and plans.

6. Office as a intermediary The office maintains contact with outsiders and links the organization with customers, suppliers, etc. It attends to the enquiries, orders and complaints, and maintains liaison between government and the organisation.

7. Importance of office to employees Maintenance of attendance records, and preparation of wage and salary sheets for timely payment are the responsibility of the office. It is also responsible for operating different employee benefit schemes, like group insurance, provident fund, etc.

8. Importance of office to customers The office acts as a link between the business and its customers. Enquiries, orders, and complaints of customers are taken care of by the office. It also advertises the products and their uses for information of the customers.

9. Importance to general public The office also acts as a link between general public and the Nature and functions of office organisation. It is responsible for creating a good image for the organisation in the minds of people.