Administrative Theory and Practice The positive and negative impact of ICT

This unit covers The impact of ICT on: Office layout and ergonomics Employee morale and wellbeing Working practices Homeworking Teleworking Collaborative projects Communication methods Data handling Software applications Networks File management

What is office Ergonomics? This is where account has to be taken of the office environment and how it suits and impacts on the individual Furniture – adjustable chairs/desks to suit requirements – importance of design for use with IT equipment Wall colours – relaxing Lighting – non-glare – sufficient for use IT equipment Ventilation – good circulation, not noisy – important in areas with lots of IT equipment Noise – glazing, wall and floor coverings Workstations – privacy, appropriate size Protective equipment – anti-glare screens, wrist rests

Improves morale and motivation therefore helps productivity IMPACT OF ERGONOMICS Impact of ergonomic environment on organisation and individual Improves morale and motivation therefore helps productivity Ensures effective flow of work Promotes health and safety at work Gives a positive image for the organisation Can be cost effective as a result of the above

Many organisations now design their workplaces to suit both Office Layout Many organisations now design their workplaces to suit both Workflow (collection, processing and transmission of information; movement of people and paper around the office) Needs of employees Place associated workers together Don’t have unnecessary physical barriers Site equipment centrally

Types of Layout Cellular Office Open Plan Office

Cellular Office - Advantages Allows privacy - the door can be closed to allow private meetings and telephone calls Gives status – often the manager is allocated a cellular office whereas other staff will work in a shared area Quiet to concentrate – the door can be closed to remove distractions from conversations, noisy machinery etc Heating and lighting can be regulated to suit the person using the room Can personalise surroundings – the occupier can decide colour scheme and can display personal certificates, photographs etc

Cellular layout - Disadvantages Wastes space – requires walls and corridors Resources cannot be shared – eg printers, copiers may be required for every office Feeling of isolation – no one close to hand to consult if help is required

Open Plan - Advantages Less wasted space as no walls/doors required therefore saving in cost particularly in city centre Easy to supervise staff Can suit workflow/team working Shared resources – networks allow equipment such as printers/copiers/scanners to be shared therefore saving money and allowing the organisation to invest in more advanced items Organisation can introduce hot-desking where staff can book access to a desk when they are on the premises – this saves space as there is no need to provide a desk for each employee Social layout – can improve staff morale

Open Plan - Disadvantages Can be noisy with many distractions, eg conversations, machinery etc Lacks privacy (carrels may be necessary) No status of own office Difficult to regulate heat to suit everyone and to decide on layout/colours which everyone agrees on

Impact of IT on Morale and Wellbeing Improves productivity giving the employee a more positive attitude to their work Ensures effective flow of work ensuring that there are fewer delays and less frustration with colleagues Promotes health and safety at work – employers must be proactive in ensuring Health and Safety legislation is adhered to. More flexible working practices will enable employees to enjoy a better work/life balance Employees more likely to remain with an organisation which offers working practices to suit lifestyle

Workflow Workflow is the collecting, processing and transmitting of information. Developments in ICT have greatly improved workflow due to accessing and gathering shared information transmitting information electronically communication around a network

Impact of ICT on WORKFLOW … Reduces the need for staff to move around – video-conferencing/online conversations Faster communication – e-mail, fax, mobile technology, wifi No need for staff to work in close proximity Less likelihood of documents going missing as they are saved in shared area and backed up Reduced costs (paper, phone calls, travel/accommodation costs

Working practices ICT has allowed the development of the following working practices audio and visual communication video/audio conferencing on-line conferencing webcams/ internet meetings no-one “owns” a desk – home or teleworkers can book a desk if required at certain times hot-desking Employees carry out their job from home Where employees carry out their job away from the office and use ICT to keep in touch homeworking teleworking

Homeworking & Teleworking Advantages Disadvantages Allows for better work/life balance – increases morale Staff may feel isolated from colleagues Reduction in travel therefore stress and possible costs Difficult to maintain self-discipline – distractions Organisations can save money – less office space required Difficult to ensure staff comply with Health and Safety requirements Allows employees to retain valued employees who may otherwise have to leave Difficult to supervise staff who are working away from the organisation

Collaborative Projects Advantages Disadvantages Meetings can take place around the world without having to travel – saves time and money Some people feel awkward in front of a camera and prefer face to face Using video conferencing or internet cameras is personal and body language can be interpreted Faults in the system can cause delays in connection and possible postponement of the meeting Allows for demonstrations to be given or files to be shown or shared with colleagues in distant locations

Impact of ICT on WORKING PRACTICES … No need to physically move people and paper so reduced requirement to layout offices with layout in mind Related staff and departments no longer need to work in close proximity Hot-desking – no one owns desk Increase in number of staff tele- or home-working Remote meetings much more cost effective way of conducting business than traditional meetings

Working Practices -Video conferencing Advantages Disadvantages Face to face communication Difficult to chair Gauge reactions May perform badly in front of cameras Travel and accommodation costs reduced Technical problems may occur Time saved Can be recorded and played back

Communication Methods Video conferencing employees no longer need to travel in order to attend meetings or collaborate with customers and colleagues. Meetings can be held on line thus saving the time and cost involved in travelling to the meeting venue Mobile phones The use of mobile phones allows administrators to keen in contact with members of staff working out of the office, even working abroad. There are other business uses such as taking and sending photographs, text messaging to multiple contacts, internet access etc E-mail E-mail allows almost instant, written communication, worldwide. Other benefits include being able to create contacts lists and send the same message to multiple contacts; also the ability to attach files to the message Intranet Developments in IT have meant that employees can create documents and save them on the intranet. This saves space on the network as duplicate files are not saved by different members of staff. Internet Information about the organisation can upload to allow information to be easily shared Wikis Collection of articles on the internet that can be added to and edited Blogs Online diary where thoughts and opinions can be shared

LANs and WANs LAN – Local Area Network WAN – Wide Area Network Benefits: Share software Share equipment Share files Communicate Backups easily made Access to files from any computer

Hardware/ peripherals Computer Rolling update programme Storage devices Floppy discs, magnetic tape, CD rom, zip, memory sticks Input devices Keyboard, mouse microphone, scanner, touch screen, MICR, optical mark recognition, hand held devices, webcam, Output devices Monitor, printer, speakers Peripherals Projectors, cameras, scanners

Software Application Examples Features Types of tasks Word Processing Word Perfect Editing Headers/footers Letters, memos, reports Database Access Records, search, query Records of staff, suppliers Spreadsheet Excel Lotus 1-2-3 Formulae, graphs Budgets, financial reports Desktop publishing PageMaker Publisher Formatting, columns, pages High quality documents Presentation software Powerpoint Special effects Timings

File Management File Management is the organisationof computer files. Organisations will put their own procedures in place to ensure that files are stored properly. Procedures should cover:

File Management File Location File Names Routine Maintenance Information should be given on where files should be stored, eg on the server File Names Should be stored in named folders with appropriate file names that will make it easy to find again Routine Maintenance Information should be provided to staff about deleting unnecessary files as storage space may be needed Back-up Procedures Copies should be made on a regular basis and staff should know the procedure for this. Some servers back-up on an automatic basis

Consequences of Poor File Management Time wasted looking for files or recreating files– leading to stress Customer relations could deteriorate – may complain if info cannot be found System slows down if the server holds too many files Wrong decisions could be made if out-of-date info is used Legal implications under the Data Protection Act - if data has not been handled properly (eg out of date or incorrect personal data being held)

Now you have to: List as many different uses of the LAN as you can think of within Oban High School Think of as many examples as you can of ICT being used to improve communication within Oban High School Describe in detail an example of information being collected, processed and transmitted electronically in Oban High School