Office jobs entail a great variety of physical and mental activities. Often, the core activities of any office job take place at the desk or at the workstation. OSH Answers has more information on office ergonomics.
In addition to the physical dimensions of the workspace and furniture, other features should also be considered in any design, reorganization or relocation. Some questions to ask are:
Does the workspace provide acoustical privacy (for example, can people talk in privacy, according to the level of confidentiality required; do noises and conversations interfere with their concentration; do noises or conversations make it difficult to hear or understand speech if much of their work involves using the telephone?)
Are the walls permanent (i.e., fixed) or is the workspace in an open office environment?
Does the workspace provide visual privacy?
Can an employee personalize his or her individual work space?
Is there access to natural light or only artificial lighting?
Is the workplace layout designed to facilitate interpersonal contact?
Is there need for space for storage or equipment (e.g., immediate access to physical documents, or a second computer screen)?