5s of Offices - Do you think it applies to every office?

D

darkafar

#1
5s office, do you think it apply to every office?

I have discussed this with my friends, they are strong 5s office program supporters. They think you should have a 5s office program if you are implementing a 5s program, with no exception.

My opinion is that the only objective of making a 5s office is to elevate the corporate image, in case the customers visit your office, so that they can feel good. And it has nothing to do with product quality, so my conclusion is that as long as the office looks not bad, it is unnecessary to have a 5s program for it.

Do you think that there is a situation in which 5s program doesn’t apply to an office? And what is the situation? If you are against my idea, your opinion is welcome too.
 
Elsmar Forum Sponsor
#2
Re: 5s office, do you think it apply to every office?

There are some benefits to using 5S in an office environment, especially if you have a number of particularly untidy people who have a lot of paperwork spread around their desks, don't file things etc. Also, it can be a way of demonstrating equality of the program between the manufacturing and office people.

I've experienced 5S this way, however, it turned out to be over-done. footprinting waste bins/trash cans, telephones etc, then being audited and written up for having too many of your kids' drawings & paintings or photographs on your office wall, is, IMHO, just stupid.....

So, my advice is, tell the folks, who aren't organized in their offices, to clean up their act and leave 5S in manufacturing only.

Andy
 

Ajit Basrur

Staff member
Admin
#3
Re: 5s office, do you think it apply to every office?

5s office, do you think it apply to every office?
darkafar, why not ? I extend the 5 S concepts at my home also.

Firstly, remember that when these concepts or any systems are adopted, its for our betterment, be it individuals or organisation.
 
D

DsqrdDGD909

#4
Re: 5s office, do you think it apply to every office?

There are some benefits to using 5S in an office environment, especially if you have a number of particularly untidy people who have a lot of paperwork spread around their desks, don't file things etc. Also, it can be a way of demonstrating equality of the program between the manufacturing and office people.

I've experienced 5S this way, however, it turned out to be over-done. footprinting waste bins/trash cans, telephones etc, then being audited and written up for having too many of your kids' drawings & paintings or photographs on your office wall, is, IMHO, just stupid.....

So, my advice is, tell the folks, who aren't organized in their offices, to clean up their act and leave 5S in manufacturing only.

Andy
We're thinking of 5S for the entire plant here including offices. I share your concerns about the over rigidity.
I have seen it work well at P&G in their offices, but their culture lent itself well to that.

If we don't adopt a rigid system, maybe we can use a set of concepts for the offices?
 

Helmut Jilling

Auditor / Consultant
#5
Re: 5s office, do you think it apply to every office?

...it turned out to be over-done.... being audited and written up for having too many of your kids' drawings & paintings or photographs on your office wall, is, IMHO, just stupid.....
it's nice when we can agree on things...:)


So, my advice is, tell the folks, who aren't organized in their offices, to clean up their act and leave 5S in manufacturing only.

I can see it in common office areas. Organization is always good. it's when it is overdone that it becomes counter productive...

PS: thanks for the idea about writing an NC on too many photos...hmmm...
 

RoxaneB

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#7
The problem that I have seen with the application of 5S within an office environment is that it can be comparable to an organization that goes for ISO 9001 just to get the piece of paper on the wall.

To say that 5S in an office is all about tidy papers and orderly desk drawers is going through the motions of applying the methodology but does not address the heart of the concept.

My organization has evolved 5S to apply to both our production and office environments. We've tailored our criteria to meet the needs of the user. We've also ensured that our 5S goes beyond paperwork in the office and that items are included that have a focus on the environment (e.g., energy usage) and safety. The idea of e-paperwork is often neglected and have adopted a culture of using common folders and directories so that electronic files are easily located by all that need them.

Does 5S in an office have an impact on product quality? Not directly. But consider this...how often are people left waiting because someone can't find a file? Administration's "customer" can be production and if they're left waiting for something from the office due to a poorly organized environment, then I'd suggest that the 5S methodology be incorporated into the administrative function, as well.

It all boils down to going beyond the basics of 5S and truly adopting the methodology to heart...efficiency, waste elimination, effectiveness.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#8
To add to Roxane's good post:

I agree there is no reason to overdo the 5S thing in an office, but it can be useful.

Possible benefits of 5S in the office:

1. Being able to find a file if the owner is out for illness, travel etc.

2. Cleanliness, or at least tidiness, and adequate lighting can help people perform at better levels than in dirty, poorly lit environments.

3. A reasonable level of cleanliness may help reduce illness. I have read the office environment actually harbors large contagious virus and bacterial counts.

4. Hazards can be reduced. Electrical cords running on the floor, stacked things to trip over and fire hazards from excess paper clutter could be more manageable.

Risks of 5S:

1. Overexcited programs could take away people's essence of individualism. A reasonable number of pictures and personal items should be allowed if they provide a sense of comfort to their owners and are not a nuisance to others.

2. Rigidly standardizing becomes a nuisance, like footprinting trash cans. Providing enough, readily accessible trash cans is good. Becoming agitated if they are moved 1 meter is not good.

3. It's possible to overdo cleanliness. The object is to improve well being, not to instill fear of sneezing or making a spot.

4. Make things auditable to the extent they impact productivity and quality. If you are in a clean room facility, then a torn chair pad is probably rightly auditable. In a normal office such attention to upholstery is probably too much unless it is unseemly for customers.

In the end it's a decision making process. The question "Why is this important?" should always be in our minds during improvement efforts, so we don't do a lot of chasing around.
 
J

Joe Cruse

#9
Good points, Jennifer.

I, too, can see benefits to 5S in an office environment, but agree that it needs to be kept from doing it just for the sake of "being a 5S office", and should provide benefits to the processes in the office areas.

A person that worked for me went to a Clorox subsidiary plant, and they have a program like this for ALL Clorox facilities, she told me. It kind of freaked her out at first, she said, as she was not a neat freak, and liked to be individualistic in her office setup. She said she has realized the benefits of being able to find things though, both in her office and in others.

I'd think that would be a major benefit, in that the workspaces of every office have a common setup and workflow, so that if someone falls out, the entire office would not grind to a halt. That, and smoother workflow.

We are getting ready to remodel the lab here, and I will be instituting some 5S into it, as we try to streamline rooms to fit our analysis processes and cut down on waste. I hope it becomes a model for other parts of our facility.
 
R

ralphsulser

#10
Eons ago, I worked with a Technicial Director who was one of the nationally recognized experts in the rubber industries. He was involved in developing the Rubber Manufacturing Association standards.
His office contained neatly piled stacks of documents, files, reports, etc.
The stacks were on his desk, table, chairs, and on the floor in each corner.
if you asked him for something, he knew exactly which stack it was in, and where in the stack. A brilliant mind, and nice guy too. No one ever thought to ask him to do anything else.
 
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