Office

<p>An office is a space where the <a href="/facts/Employee/pqEUAhNv">employees</a> of an <a href="/facts/Organization/CR83f1Rn">organization</a> perform <a href="/facts/Business_administration/Sj3A56z1">administrative</a> <a href="/facts/Work_(human_activity)/UA8TczRb">work</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Officer/YA7AfEhJ">officer</a> or <a href="/facts/Official/TSxStIy7">official</a>); the latter is an earlier usage, as "office" originally referred to the location of one's duty. In its <a href="/facts/Adjective/0ohBjtmT">adjective</a> form, the term "office" may refer to <a href="/facts/Business/For1e8Nh">business</a>-related tasks. In <a href="/facts/Legal/luzxWkg0">law</a>, a <a href="/facts/Company/psBVz9jr">company</a> or organization has offices in any place where it has an official presence, even if that presence consists of a <a href="/facts/Storage_silo/ljuNaAwV">storage silo</a>. For example, instead of a more traditional establishment with a <a href="/facts/Desk/Gr1gwIIr">desk</a> and <a href="/facts/Office_chair/EjU77gqe">chair</a>, an office is also an <a href="/facts/Architectural/FccThs8G">architectural</a> and <a href="/facts/Design/kR4GNeja">design</a> phenomenon, including small offices, such as a <a href="/facts/Bench_(furniture)/ffh8ujzb">bench</a> in the corner of a <a href="/facts/Small_business/a6BhC6U0">small business</a> or a room in someone's home (see <a href="/facts/Small_office%2fhome_office/3aub8CPG">small office/home office</a>), entire floors of buildings, and massive buildings dedicated entirely to one company. In modern terms, an office is usually the location where <a href="/facts/White-collar_worker/ckJEIdEM">white-collar workers</a> carry out their functions.
</p><p>In <a href="/facts/Classical_antiquity/JBq8vEX9">classical antiquity</a>, offices were often part of a palace complex or a large temple. In the <a href="/facts/High_Middle_Ages/uPRGYdE6">High Middle Ages</a> (1000–1300), the medieval <a href="/facts/Chancery_(medieval_office)/WHB2mLXB">chancery</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Industrial_Revolution/B6E3Fasm">Industrial Revolution</a> intensified in the 18th and 19th centuries, the industries of <a href="/facts/Bank/l7VsKwas">banking</a>, <a href="/facts/Rail_transport/9nJQbsDV">rail</a>, <a href="/facts/Insurance/06VP8I3B">insurance</a>, <a href="/facts/Retail/unzV9sPF">retail</a>, <a href="/facts/Petroleum/IQV0bHVd">petroleum</a>, and <a href="/facts/Telegraph/JhRYDSDu">telegraphy</a> grew dramatically, requiring many clerks. As a result, more office space was assigned to house their activities. The <a href="/facts/Time_and_motion_study/uDpdB0aY">time-and-motion study</a>, pioneered in manufacturing by <a href="/facts/F._W._Taylor/cLfxAVbq">F. W. Taylor</a> (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 <a href="/facts/Privacy/C269YalS">privacy</a>, and gradually the <a href="/facts/Cubicle/dYguRcpn">cubicle</a> system evolved.
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Office open-in-new

Office