The Importance of an Organised Office
How your office functions on a day-to-day basis is affected by a variety of different factors, one being how well your office is organised! Having a disorganised office comes with many disadvantages which should be avoided, while an organised office with the appropriate office storage can benefit your business in several ways.
Here are just some of the ways that you can organise your office, and how this benefits your business.
How to Organise Your Office
It is essential that you put in the time and effort to make your office into a nice and organised space. With some careful planning, combined with the cooperation of the whole team, you can take some easy steps towards creating a more organised workplace.
The first step is for everyone to keep their office desks clear. Not only will this help them to focus on tasks without any distractions, but it also means that they will be able to find everything as and when they need it. Try purchasing desks that have inbuilt storage, such as drawers, for staff to keep any stationary or documents that they are currently working on stored in.
Choosing the right office furniture that provides you with adequate and appropriate storage is also important. You should think about the type of things you need to store and how much office storage you need when choosing the office furniture. For example, if you use a lot of document files, then you will need a filing cabinet. Other office storage options include bookcases, pedestals, racks, drawers, cupboards, cabinets and digital storage.
Encourage all the staff to take steps towards general tidiness. When things are not in use, they should be stored in the appropriate area of the office so they can be found when needed. You can help them to do this by making sure everyone knows where things belong and by setting a good example yourself. Keeping the office clean and tidy will also prevent documents becoming damaged, and will also benefit the health of the staff.
Finally, sort through papers. Piles of paperwork are one of the major contributors to an untidy office. Clearing these is an essential step towards better organisation. If you have unnecessary copies of documents, then shred them or reuse them for scrap. Any documents not currently in use should be stored safely for when you need them. Consider taking steps to reduce the amount of paper you use in the office, such as sending documents via email, using digital storage and proofreading documents.
The Effects of a Disorganised Office
Having disorganised offices and office desks can severely hamper your efforts at work. You will waste a lot of time looking for the things you need. This will slow down progress and can reduce the amount of work you and your team get through. In the long run, this will negatively affect your productivity and can potentially cost you money.
If you have clients and customers that visit your office, any disorganisation will reflect badly on you and this is not the image you should present of your company. It may even deter potential customers or clients from giving you their business.
Benefits of an Organised Office
Less stressful working environment
A cluttered and untidy working environment can potentially have a negative impact on the staff. If people do not feel comfortable in their workplace, they can suffer from stress or anxiety and this will impact on their work. Clearing the office, and keeping it clean and tidy will reduce the likelihood of people experiencing anxiety and stress when in the office. This is not only beneficial for the staff, but also for the business as a whole. Stress can lead to workers taking time off work, so by minimising stress in the office, you can positively impact on staff attendance.
Less time wasted
In a business, time is money. You need to make each second count to make sure you achieve your business goals and build a successful business. In an untidy office, a lot of time is wasted on searching for the documents, information or equipment needed when working on a project. This is time that staff could spend more productively. If you have clear office desks and are making good use of office storage, then your staff can quickly and easily find everything they need. This will help them to make better progress with projects without wasting time unnecessarily.
A better image
In business, your image is everything. Having a good image and clear brand can make the difference between success and failure. People make a snap decision about whether to buy your products or use your services based on the impression you have given to them. A disorganised office gives a bad impression to potential customers and clients, and this can sway them to give their business to your competitors instead. An organised office creates a much better impression to clients, and will make them believe you are a professional company that they are happy to give their business.
Increased productivity
For a business to achieve success, it is important that the team is working as productively as possible at all times. How organised an office is, will impact directly on levels of productivity in your business. If you are keeping everything in appropriate office storage, staff can easily find the things they need. On the other hand, a disorganised office will prevent your team from working at their best.
Greater profits
Maximising profits is of great importance to most businesses and is a marker of their overall success. An organised office is one way you can potentially increase your profit levels. If less time is wasted and productivity is good, then more work will get done. Also, if you are presenting a good image and attracting more custom, sales of your products or services will increase and this will lead to greater profits.
Making sure your office is organised, makes sense as it has many benefits to your office, whereas a disorganised office can impact negatively on the daily functions of your business.
Taking a few simple steps to improve your office’s organisation can impact positively on you, your staff and the business as a whole.