By Jerrywright Ukwu
My stay at Sesema PR, a leading Nigerian Public Relations firm, has made me a near-perfectionist. This is because of the attitude and positive energy Alima Atta, the Managing Director, and the rest of my senior colleagues bring to bear when carrying out their duties. As the Administrative Assistant, part of my job routine is to ensure the office is well arranged and conducive for my colleagues and convenient for visitors.
The purpose of this article is to offer advice for office arrangement using the Sesema model. Large or small, your office can become a more pleasant and profitable space if you employ what I will term ‘fundamental common-sense.’ According to a Chinese philosophy, interactions between humans and their environment influence each other in an endless circle that ultimately determines destinies.
If your office space is small and cramped, remove all unessential items to open the room up and allow your desk area as much space as possible. A small office usually leaves little room for desk placement. It’s wise to place your desk as far away from the door as possible. A desk too near a door coveys a poor self-image and takes your attention away from work, causing you to be more than often distracted and preoccupied with other matters. Seats that face each other slightly improve the office’s positive energy by encouraging comfortable conversation and information exchange between and among the room’s inhabitants.
Office Arrangement is also a form of PR. The arrangement of an office conveys a message (either positive or negative) to a first time visitor. As a PR firm, Sesema’s office arrangement is taken seriously by our MD/CEO, Alima Atta. She practically brings new ideas frequently and oh boy! Aren’t they just wonderful? When I enter some offices and see their arrangement, compared to ours, I just whisper to myself and say “Look, it’s ten years of common sense and experience!”