Office clutter often becomes invisible to us when we see it every day. Much like home clutter, it blends into the background to the point where we just get used to its presence. However, a cluttered office can be as damaging to productivity as anything!
Whether it’s causing a distraction to your employees, lowering your mood when you notice the mess or stealing away precious working time – it’s not offering anything positive and it’s time to get rid.
Follow these 5 steps to clutter-free office:
Make a list
Before embarking on your decluttering journey, its good practice to start with a list of what’s already in the office. You don’t need to list essentials such as desks and chairs (unless there are broken, unused furniture items!) but making this list will mean you can see at a glance all the things you have accumulated.
Once you’ve made the list, grab a highlighter and mark which items are not neccessary. You may even want to go a step further and mark out of 10 how detrimental to the clutter problem each item is… for example, a broken chair that’s been sat in the corner for 2 years is maybe a 5 out of 10, but the pile of old documents littered across your desk are definitely a 9!
Recycle, bin or file
Of all the items you’ve highlighted, how are you planning on getting rid of them? You should be able to either recycle or shred (old files, documents etc), fill the bin (broken items) or file away any important documents that you need to keep, but don’t need sitting in plain sight all the time.
If you have any sentimental clutter, these items might be things that you take home with you.
Establish an ‘office flow’
Every office should have a flow that all employees stick to. An office flow basically involves planning a journey for regularly produced items. Here’s an example of an office flow for invoices:
Unpaid invoice is printed –> Accounts handle the invoice and make the payment –> The invoice is then marked as paid –> Invoice is then filed away in the ‘paid’ folder
It might sound simple, but we bet there’s people out there reading this who have a pile of paid invoices on their desk that need filing. Having the office flow established means you will follow the steps every time instead of putting it off.
Keep your desk clean
And not just your desk – your employees should all follow suit too. Check out our previous article on maintaining a clean and hygienic desk.
Repeat the steps regularly
Whilst this process may seem lengthy, it will become quicker the more often you do it. And doing it regularly will mean you keep on top of the clutter, rather than having to reassess every time.
It goes without saying that a regular contract cleaning service can massively reduce the burden of clutter. Here at Welpol, our cleaners can help to maintain a hygienic and clean workspace for your team, and regular cleaning should always be seen as an investment. Click here to read our article on why cleaning shouldn’t be seen as a cost!