office
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.5|Midtown Manhattan in [[New York City is the largest central business district in the world, comprising over 350 million square feet of office space.]] An office is a space where the members of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it (see officer or official); the latter is an earlier usage, as "office" originally referred to the location of one's duty. In its adjective form, the term "office" may ref
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An office is a space where members of an organization perform administrative work to support and achieve the organization's goals. The term can also refer to a position within an organization that carries specific duties and responsibilities.
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- History
- Middle Ages
- The emergence of the modern office
- 20th century
- Office spaces
- Workspaces
- Meeting spaces
- Support spaces
- Office structure
- Office and retail rental rates
- Grading
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.5|Midtown Manhattan in [[New York City is the largest central business district in the world, comprising over 350 million square feet of office space.]] An office is a space where the members of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it (see officer or official); the latter is an earlier usage, as "office" originally referred to the location of one's duty. In its adjective form, the term "office" may refer to business-related tasks. In law, a company or organization has offices in any place where it has an official presence, even if that presence consists of a storage silo. For example, instead of a more traditional establishment with a desk and chair, an office is also an architectural and design phenomenon, including small offices, such as a bench in the corner of a small business or a room in someone's home, entire floors of buildings, and massive buildings dedicated entirely to one company. In modern terms, an office is usually the location where white-collar workers carry out their functions.
In classical antiquity, offices were often part of a palace complex or a large temple. In the High Middle Ages (1000–1300), the medieval chancery acted as a sort of office, serving as the space where records and laws were stored and copied. With the growth of large, complex organizations in the 18th century, the first purpose-built office spaces were constructed. As the Industrial Revolution intensified in the 18th and 19th centuries, the industries of banking, rail, insurance, retail, petroleum, and telegraphy grew dramatically, requiring many clerks. As a result, more office space was assigned to house their activities. The time-and-motion study, pioneered in manufacturing by F. W. Taylor (1856–1915), led to the "Modern Efficiency Desk" of 1915. Its flat top, with drawers below, was designed to allow managers an easy view of their workers. By the middle of the 20th century, it became apparent that an efficient office required additional control over privacy, and gradually the cubicle system evolved. thumb|right|300px|A typical modern office, in Israel