OFFICE ARRANGEMENT AND PROCEDURES LEARNING OBJECTIVES: State the importance of office arrangement and office procedures, including telephone procedures. Identify the major components of a computer. The amount of control you will have over the physical arrangement of your office varies with the office location and the type of duty. Both aboard ship and ashore, conditions outside your control (space limitations) usually determine the kind of office and equipment you will have. You may or may not have a choice in the arrangement of furniture. Without a doubt, you will be expected to take your share of responsibility for the general neatness and care of the place. You should perform these duties as a routine part of the job and not wait to be asked or told. When you begin work in a new billet, one of your first concerns should be to learn as much as possible about the overall organization, your office organization, and the immediate chain of command. After you understand all the functions of the office, the role that you will play should be readily apparent. This knowledge not only makes the various jobs more interesting but makes your job easier to perform as well. The files, for instance, take on a new interest with the knowledge of the use of the records they contain. You should know the name and the rank or rate of every person in your office, and the manner in which every signing official makes a signature. You should learn as much as possible about other jobs in the office and how the performance of these jobs contributes to the overall operation of the office. The next step is to see the office as part of a larger plan. The office may be viewed in two ways—as a part of the squadron or station and as a part of the overall aircraft maintenance program that operates through similar offices throughout the Navy. OFFICE ARRANGEMENT If it becomes necessary to rearrange the office furniture, you should plan before you start to move things around. The following guidelines may help you: Locate desks so that people who use them will have enough light but no glare. There should be as much air as possible at a desk without locating anyone in a draft. Place equipment where it can be easily used and where work will flow in one direction—not crisscrossing the room. Arrange tables or counters to handle supplies or to assemble papers. Place files where they can be easily accessed but out of the flow of general office traffic. Use bookcases and special shelves for books, magazines, and pamphlets to keep these items from using up workspace on desks and tables. While striving for orderliness and good appearance, do not go to extremes. Remember that the office exists to get work done, and too much emphasis on appearance may interfere with the day-to-day work. It is possible to plan an arrangement that is not only convenient but also looks orderly and uncluttered. Within reasonable limits, the best arrangement is the one that gets the work done. The appearance of an office is improved by simple practices, such as the following: Putting things away from day to day. This is one of your responsibilities. Clearing correspondence baskets daily to avoid the accumulation or misplacement of documents. Properly stowing supplies that may stain documents or deteriorate rapidly. Not stowing cleaning or hazardous materials in desks. Removing equipment from desks that might be damaged when the office is cleaned. Avoiding accumulations of loose paper or trash in the office. They may create a fire hazard. Securing all gear well. When securing equipment or supplies that others have been using, exercising good judgment to avoid loss or misplacement of material. What may look like complete confusion to one person may have complete order and meaning to another. 2-2