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man just out of high school, who handled the stenographic and clerical work besides interesting himself in the business. The office layout as it then existed is shown in Figure 11a.

The business fell into two distinct divisions: (1) the managing of buildings for their owners, the list of properties being kept in a 4 x 6 unit and all correspondence and other records in vertical letter file units of the same filing cabinet; and (2) personal ventures, the data for which consisted of papers kept in the pigeonholes and drawers of his desk or piled on the table, and of maps which when rolled stood in the corner but otherwise were lying on the table.

In these personal ventures, the dealer would usually buy a plot, subdivide it, sell the lots at a profitable advance, and perhaps build houses on them according to the purchaser's specifications. Unless the specifications were intricate, the dealer served as his own architect, working out the plans while seated at the table.

The real estate man received notice, however, that since the manufacturer, his other neighbor, must have more space, his present office upon the expiration of the year's lease would be cut down in width by eight feet. He was about to move, when he was persuaded to study his office layout problem.

What an Investigation Revealed

Investigation revealed that during two two-hour periods selected for study he turned to his bookcase zero times; he consulted his filing cabinets five times, in each instance the 4 x 6 card index unit; he walked to the table and back eighteen times, several of these trips being for tools needed at the table but kept at the desk. He made four trips to the maps, plus a few others from file to maps or from maps to table or from desk, etc., to door. In two instances he averaged five minutes in hunting through a pile of house pictures for a certain set he wanted to show his visitor. In one instance he

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In diagram (B) the 4x6 unit occupies the first drawer to the right (A) and the material pertaining to the lots and buildings is kept in the deep drawer underneath (B), the general files at (C). The photographs at (D) and the wall maps are at (E).

DOOR

File

took a drawer full of papers out upon his lap and spent eleven minutes hunting before he was ready to dictate. In four instances he thumbed somewhat thoughtlessly material protruding from the pigeonholes but did not carry the search further. The assistant during the same hours walked to the table three times, to confer with his chief; to the files six times, usually with reference to correspondence; and to take dictation, three times.

The Office as Rearranged

When these various trips had been plotted on a diagram and this compared with a second diagram showing how the office could be arranged, the real estate man was speedily convinced of the value of motion study and its importance to him. The new office, as rearranged after the partition was moved over eight feet, is shown in Figure 11b.

The table was moved into the corner near the desk, the bookcase was taken out and a small rack, sufficient to hold all the volumes, substituted. The filing cabinet was brought near the assistant, but the 4 x 6 card index so frequently consulted by the dealer was installed as a desk unit. The maps were taken from the corner and fitted into one of the regulation wall cabinets; any of them can now be pulled down at will and when not in use it is rolled up out of the way. The pictures once piled on a low box under the table now are attractively mounted on large display leaves, hinged so as to swing back against the wall. The architect's papers and drawings formerly kept on top of the table have been placed inside the large shallow drawer which a carpenter fitted into this table. A double desk replaces the old roll top affair, the typewriter desk has been turned half-way about and both workers use swivel chairs.

"My rent has been cut down $350," comments the real estate man, "but that doesn't begin to represent what I've

gained. I can turn in my chair here and lay my hands on about everything I want. This deep drawer," pulling open the lower drawer of his desk, "has every lot and house I've got on sale filed there in order. This makes it easy to follow things up. The maps and pictures over there help me to get my sales talk across. And as for being crowded, we actually seem to have more room than ever."

There is nothing particularly unusual about the real estate man's problem, nor does he claim in his present office arrangement to have reached perfection. He simply applied the principles of motion study to the conditions of his daily work. This everyone may do.

Conclusion

Standardization of office conditions by facilitating and expediting necessary operations makes increase of output possible. The business man who takes hold of the matter systematically can transform his office, whatever his line of business, into an efficiently productive workshop.

EXERCISES

Simple Forms of the Day's Work File

In considering the day's work file possibly you may have been led to think it feasible only to men, like the general manager above mentioned, with many things on their hands. Such would be an incorrect view. The day's work file to be helpful need not have an elaborate index.

One successful business man depends constantly upon a file whose index has only eight tabs and five of these are specials! The three regulars are "Today's," "When convenient," and "Pending." The other tabs are labeled from time to time as special problems are undertaken.

If you want to try out the day's work file before purchasing, take a discarded letter file of the old-fashioned book type, remove the leaf covers at both side and back, substitute for the alphabetized paper

sheets an index of seven or eight stiff pressboard sheets, arranging these in such a way that the tabs will not overlap so as to hide each other, and provide yourself with a few plain gummed labels.

An analysis of your work is next to be made.

What sort of work are you doing? Can you classify it under some such heads as the general manager did, or more simply, as in the case just cited? These headings you now write on the gummed labels, sticking them upon the tabs in order. If the file does not work smoothly the chances are you have not correctly analyzed your work, although this, it may be added, need cause no particular concern since the classification admits of modification until the arrangement proved most practical has been secured.

An Inventory of Your Desk Tools

Suppose we now take an inventory of the desk tools, using for this purpose Test Chart 3. Complete the list of articles by writing in the names of whatever additional items the search through your desk reveals. Indicate by check marks your answers in the next three columns. Consider the matter with some care before checking the replies of the last two columns, since questions such as the following have to be answered:

When reordering supplies, paper for instance, do you depend upon guesswork or upon exact information, recorded?

Are you found wasting ten minutes' time trying to tie some package with a piece of string it required five cents of your time to save, or using for scratch paper an old envelope carefully preserved at a cost in time of four sheets of the regulation pad?

Does the shallow center drawer contain all the small tools in constant use, or do these occupy various locations? Are these tools kept in the most convenient order, or are the frequently used clips well to the back of the drawer, with the rarely used sealing wax occupying a prominent place at the front? Every motion ought to count; and while the sealing wax no doubt is handy the clips ought to be more handy.

Other Aids

How about a dictionary and some reference books? In a certain publishing house, I found the editorial staff without a dictionary! The business man unless his tastes are scholarly need not invest in Webster's International, The Century, or The New Standard, but at any rate some abridged edition of these deserves a place in his office.

Each business also has its own special reference works, some of which at least ought to be accessible.

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