A clean workplace is a productive workplace. You need a clean environment to be productive, and you can’t be productive if you’re constantly cleaning your environment. Though it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, it’s worth investing some time into creating sustainable organizational methods for your office. An ideal office won’t take a long time to organize. Making proper considerations and creating the right space for everything makes maintenance a breeze.
1. Consider the amount of space you need
A lot of companies make serious mistakes when selecting their office space. They tend to think about what they’ll need in the moment, failing to consider the future when they will have expanded. Over time, this leads to a tightly packed office space that’s hard for everyone to work in. If you’ve noticed that things are a tighter fit than usual, it may be time to browse Gumtree for a larger space. Always go bigger than what you expect you need. You’ll be surprised how quickly that space fills up.
2. The little stuff counts
Think about all of the cables and electrical cords that are floating around. The amount of pens and pencils everyone uses on a daily basis. Creating workable solutions for the little things will remove a lot of the small clutter that, over time, accumulates into a large mess. Always clip and hide cables. Not only will things look neater, but you’re also eliminating the potential for safety hazards. Having functional desktop organizers will give people a place to stick the things that are rolling all over their work surface.
3. Make sure workspaces are large enough
Some people need a lot of stuff in their immediate vicinity in order to do their jobs correctly. A standard size cubicle may not be enough room for people to get things done. If everyone’s workspaces were a little bit larger, they’d have room to properly store and work with the things they use on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter how neat a person is – if they need too much stuff in too small of a space, things are always going to look jammed up.
4. Use discreet storage
You need a place to put file cabinets, reams of paper, and other large bulk supplies. Leaving them out in the open may make it easier for people to access them, but it also takes up a lot of floor space. Consider dedicating a separate room for files and office supplies. Install large shelves to organize with all of the community things. They should stay organized on their own, because people will only take what they need. All you have to worry about is restocking the shelves every so often.
5. Give everything its own place
How often do you throw things into a drawer just to get them out of the way? When you’re busy, probably often. Drawer organizers aren’t expensive. If everything has a place to call home, it’s easy enough to just stick it in its designated spot, rather than moving it out of the way. Think about shelves, under desk storage, and modular storage solutions for all of your vital personal supplies.
During complicated projects or extreme workloads, your office will be less than tidy. That’s normal, reasonable, and you should expect it. Giving employees breaks from an overwhelming workload to tidy things up a bit may even prevent them from burning out by allowing them to focus their attention on an alternative task for a little while. As long as you’ve laid the groundwork, everything will fall into place.
About the Author
Hanna Dickins is part of the team behind DirectorStats.co.uk. With a huge interest in technology and startup industry, she works as a Community Manager. She’s keen on new helpful online tools and productivity hacks.
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