A well-organized office makes a huge difference in how well your business operates on an individual and team level. There are many ways you can organize your office so that employees don’t waste time looking for things, and you don’t have to spend a fortune doing so. It’s easy for paperwork, file folders and office tools to overwhelm and crowd your office space. Thankfully, these 10 tips will earn you a more organized office in no time!
1. Purge It Out
The first step to a cleaner and more productive office is to go through the purging process. This may take an entire day or even a couple of days, but involves entirely cleaning out desks and office spaces of all things you don’t need. This is the time to file away forgotten papers and clean out drawers so that everything tucked inside is easy to locate and not trapped underneath a bunch of things. Create a team effort by turning ‘the purge’ into an event where employees work together to clean up.
2. Print As Little As Possible
Computers and hard drives help us store so many things, preventing the need to print every last piece of paperwork. When you don’t have to print something you instantly reduce clutter. Create limited-print policies and offer employees added cloud storage space to virtually organize. The less paper you use the more eco-friendly you are as well, plus you’ll save money on printer ink.
3. Keep Desks Free Of Everything Except Current Work Project
Research shows that when your desk is covered in a number of projects your focus decreases and so does the quality of your work. Keeping office desks clear of clutter helps free the mind so that you can truly focus on the one project at hand. The trick to making this work is to have an appropriate place to file away the things you are not currently working on.
4. Inboxes For Every Employee
Create an inbox space for each employee. This prevents papers from getting left on individual desks, building up and creating a mess. When things get left on the desk they get put off, forgotten, misplaced and contribute to disorganization and office clutter. If workers know to check their inbox regularly they will do so when they have the time to handle it and file it appropriately.
5. Mason Jars For Organizing Pens, Pencils, Etc.
Mason Jars are cheap and provide a world of awesome benefits, such as storing pens, pencils and other office supplies. Not only do these jars make it easy to sort supplies but they are also a cute and trendy way to spruce up workspaces.
6. Trash Cans, Recycling Bins & Shredders
Easy access to trash cans, recycling bins and shredders make a tidy office possible. All employees need easy access to these three things so that they don’t put off tossing out unneeded things. Keep a shredder near the recycling bin so that sensitive documents can be properly disposed of. Without a shredder on hand employees often hold onto documents simply because they don’t want to throw them away and risk someone else getting their hands on them.
7. Two-Tray Document Bins
Each desk should have at least a 2-tray document bin. The first tray is for new documents you have not had a chance to look at yet. The second tray is for documents you have looked at and now need to file away or deal with. This system visibly highlights what needs to get done and keeps old and new paperwork from getting mixed up and forgotten. This not only keeps paperwork more organized but it also prevents desks from becoming a cluttered mess.
8. A Place To Put Everything
Everything you regularly use in the office needs a home when not in use. Regardless if you have 15 or 500 must-have office supplies you need an appropriate space for all of them. This space should be tucked away, out of sight such as a drawer or container. Tip number 1, the purge, is important for this trick in order to dwindle down stuff so that you actually have a space for everything. (Reference)
9. Create Communal Work Zones
Teamwork is crucial and so is setting up effective communal workplaces for employees to get together and share ideas. These spaces should be equipped with white boards, supplies and other tools so that employees can easily collaborate without having to drag things over from their own desk. This prevents a mess every time people want to work together; it also makes it easier to collaborate and promotes positive interaction.
10. Create An End Of The Work Day Routine
Create an end of the day work routine that can take as little as 3 to 5 minutes. Use this time to straighten up your desk, file any paperwork left out, and remove coffee cups, water bottles and other random things from throughout the day. This practice not only ensures a cleaner workspace but it also makes it easier for corporate cleaning companies to come in and deep clean.
Improving workplace efficiency and reducing sick days is as easy as hiring a corporate cleaning company to regularly come in during, before or after work hours to clean. Tidy Team is leading the way in efficient corporate cleaning. Contact us today to learn more!