Office Equipments JSS2 Business Studies Lesson Note

OFFICE EQUIPMENT

Office equipment is any office item that is operated either manually, mechanically, or electronically to aid the office worker perform their duties faster, neater, and more efficiently.

Office equipment consists of stationery as well as the machines present in the office. Stationery is the products that are used daily by the employees like staplers, gum, notebooks, pins, pens, clips, markers, etc. whereas, machines are the big costly instruments used by employees like Xerox machines, printers, scanners, pen drives, etc.

EXAMPLES OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT

Below are a few pieces of office equipment that every office requires

Printers:

An office with at least one computer must have a printer to make hard copies of files and documents. Business documents such as product lists, financial dealings, invoices, letters, reports, etc. need to be stored as hard copies.

In addition to transferring the electronic files to paper format, they can also create composite documents containing scanned images and digital information.

Scanners:

While a printer is used to convert electronic documents into paper format, a scanner does just the opposite- converting hard copies into digital format. These include photographs, cash receipts, hand-filled forms, drawings, identification proofs of employees, and even pages from print publications.

Scanners copy these images created on paper and convert them to electronic format so that they can be stored on a computer or emailed.

Photocopying or fax was the most commonly used format before scanners were invented. Photocopying is still followed today in many places.

Copiers:

This is one of the best ways of replicating a document and maintaining a hard copy especially if it is hand-written. There was a time when offices used to employ clerks called ‘scribes’ to create a duplicate copy of a document by typing or rewriting it again.

However, this was a very difficult task and the printing press was not an easy, practical solution. Some offices made use of small printing presses while most of them outsourced the work to large printing presses. Slowly this passed away and offices started using carbon papers, cyclostyling, etc.

Eventually, copying options like roller copiers, copy pads xerographs, etc. came into practice. Xerography and copiers are popular copying options – both in black and white as well as color, even today.

Dictation Machines:

Many offices do not find it important to have this equipment. However, this is one of the most important equipment.

Speech recognition software is available but it is not as efficient and reliable. Typically, in an office, the audio is first recorded by someone, processed into file format by an employee, and transcribed by another employee who later emails or prints it.

Typing out every word cannot be done as fast and fluently as speaking. Drafting memos and letters is best done through dictation and recording- especially because it is easier to speak while performing other tasks.

Cassette tapes were popular dictation equipment but modern digital versions are more popular owing to their ease and convenience.

Projectors:

Making presentations is an integral part of any office work whether it is building a strategy, providing training to employees or even making a business proposal.

Simple lecturing and talking is often confusing and needless to say- boring. Using the age-old traditional method of chalk and board is cumbersome since making notes is difficult. Going back to a particular point to clarify doubts is also difficult.

In addition, people find it difficult to keep a record of the meeting. Presentations throw clarity into the picture simply because it is easier to maintain records, clear doubts, and also make notes.

So, what does a projector do in the presentation?

Simple- it helps project the presentations on a bigger screen thus grabbing everybody’s attention. You can also share the presentations with colleagues, and attendees simply by e-mailing the same to them.

Shredder:

Like dictation machines, shredders also fall into the ‘most important’ office equipment category when it comes to protecting confidentiality, and business and trade secrets.

Ironically, shredders are used to destroy the very same documents that the employees work so hard to produce. Hand tearing is time-consuming and tiring in addition to being ineffective.

Shredders cut papers such that putting them back and recovering the lost information is almost impossible. They are extremely necessary when confidential information and reports relating to human resources are documented.

IMPORTANCE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT

If the office is involved in binding operations, then they will require good office equipment for binding because all the customers demand perfect binding for their documents. This shows that every office has its own needs and requirements and if the proper office equipment is not available to carry out that operation, then the entire task will not be completed successfully. Every office requires furniture for their employees that they can use to finish their tasks and duties. However, these are just the general needs of any office. Office equipment is the main factor that every office needs for the successful finishing of any project or job and this may not be the same for every office and varies concerning the nature of the business and the requirements of the office.

CARE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT

Proper care of your office equipment will keep your business running smoothly. A good cleaning every few months will keep keyboard keys from sticking and equipment from overheating. Regular maintenance may reduce downtime and maintenance calls for your computers, printers, and fax machines.

·         Open removable parts of the printer and wipe the insides with a dry, clean cloth.

·         Keep computers in a dry environment, away from sources of excessive heat or moisture.

·          Do not place a computer next to a heating source or drink your coffee while at the computer.

·         Wipe screen and keyboard regularly with a static-free cloth and cleaner designed for use on computers.

·         Use compressed air to clean debris from between the keys on the keyboard.

·         Keep ventilation holes on the computer clear of blockages from dust or other items on the desk to prevent overheating.