There is no denying that COVID-19 and remote working have caused many businesses to require less office space in recent times. Indeed, research reveals that the UK has about 57.6 million square feet of unused commercial office space. Nevertheless, many businesses operate in physical office locations, which must be properly organized to promote productivity. Here are some tips worth considering to transform your disorganized office into an efficient work environment.
- Deep clean regularly
A clean workplace is necessary for sanitary reasons. However, regular office deep cleaning can also compel you to keep it organized for as long as possible. Fortunately, you can hire a building sanitation service to take care of this instead of tasking your regular night crew with this strenuous work. These professionals will sanitize all phones, screens, chairs, desks, and keyboards in all workstations. They will also sanitize your conference room and its carpets, tables, and chairs. Additionally, your break room area, doorknobs, and all surfaces with fixtures and walls will be thoroughly sanitized. You can hire these professional commercial cleaners on a weekly, monthly, or one-time basis.
- Revise your filing system
It is no secret that technological advancements have reduced the need to keep paper files. However, paper remains an essential component of many offices, with Kyocera research revealing that the average UK office worker uses about 45 pieces of paper daily. Consequently, it is prudent to develop an efficient filing system to ensure that your office’s paper is organized as best as possible to reduce clutter.
For starters, encourage employees to create Waiting on Response (WOR) folders containing documents on hold until someone else acts or responds. Also, create meeting folders containing reports that need to be handed out and items to be discussed paperwork. Cheap storage boxes are also worth purchasing to store archived files and free up some file space.
Furthermore, consider buying magazine boxes and binders to keep magazines and catalogues you want to keep for research or reference. Finally, create reading folders for documents and print articles that aren’t urgent but will be read at some point.
- Purge your office
Your office likely contains items that require fixing, will never be used, and are no longer needed. These things contribute to clutter and make cleaning more challenging and time-consuming than necessary. As such, getting rid of these items is essential to your office organization’s efforts.
Therefore, scan your office area by area to identify furniture, supplies, equipment, and other things you haven’t used in a long while. Then, place these items into three piles: keep, donate, and trash. This way, you can successfully limit the number of things you have in your office and only keep what is important.
- Establish work zones
Work zones in your office are, without a doubt, essential to keep it organized. These areas will ensure that people don’t do everything at their desks.
You can encourage employees to regard their desks as their primary workspace. Then, create a reference area filled with shelves, binders, filing cabinets, and a supply area with shelves, drawers, or closets. This way, you and your employees can go to specific areas to find items and complete tasks, minimizing frustration and ensuring that all things work-related aren’t done in a single spot where mix-ups are likely to occur.
- Keep cables tidy
There are numerous electronics in the office, so the number of cables lying around work desks is usually too much. As a result, your office can look pretty disorganized and untidy. Also, you and your staff will struggle to work because these cables can become entangled with other items or simply get in the way.
Luckily, there are numerous cable organizers you can invest in to hold these wires together to prevent them from causing chaos. Additionally, purchase surge protector power boards for all workstations and use zip ties to bind loose cables. Finally, consider labelling all cables to their corresponding hardware to make it easier to know what goes where.
- Create more storage space
It is almost impossible to organize a small office without enough storage to keep desks clutter-free. This reality applies to large office environments as well because an essential rule of organizing is having a specific place for everything. Therefore, purge your drawers, cabinets, and other existing storage space to get rid of things that need to go.
This way, you can free up more space to keep office items, helping you achieve your goal of a more organized office.