A clean office boosts moods and inspires productivity, but it can be difficult to keep everything organized, especially when you tend to amass a lot of documents quickly. These office organization tips will help you make your workspace much cleaner and efficient. Cutting back on paper and unnecessary waste will also do good for the environment.
Create Work Zones
Rather than make everyone stick to their desks or struggle to find a spot that meets their current needs, break up the office into designated work zones. This layout offers greater flexibility and organization among teams, and you can customize the zones to suit your unique office’s needs.
A collaboration zone, for example, is a clutter-free, simple space for co-workers to meet and share ideas. Quiet spaces with a comfy couch, bookshelves, and charging stations allow people to work more openly without being disturbed. Social spaces eliminate noise distractions by offering a closed-off, engaging area for employees to unwind, enjoy their lunches, and take breaks. The social space can also be used to hold less formal meetings, which everyone will be grateful for.
Use Wall Space
Wire shelving and pegboards will help declutter desks and free up floor space. Using the walls to organize office supplies, files, and electronics will also make it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for whenever you need it. Employees should be encouraged to organize their own individual workspaces using space-saving techniques to promote congruence without sacrificing independence.
Go Paperless
Embrace the digital age and go as paper-free as you can; start sending digital invoices, switch to email instead of traditional paper correspondence, and use apps like Evernote and Google Docs to share information instead of printing documents. A company-wide newsletter can be just as valuable in digital format as printed, and you can save dozens of sheets of paper just by going paperless for a single announcement.
Upgrade Your Furniture
Organization furniture is a great investment that benefits everyone. Say goodbye to bulky, unsightly filing cabinets by purchasing desks with built-in storage. You can also buy compact, vertical filing drawers that easily slip under desks and can house office supplies, documents, and other important items without taking up a lot of space.
Make cleaning the office a team effort. Employees might pitch new suggestions you never considered, and everyone can take pride in transforming their workspace into a more clean, relaxing, and clutter-free environment.
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing.