As seen in the Dayton Daily News on Dec. 5, 2015.
The common areas shared in your office can be crucial to the efficiency of how an office operates, but these areas are often neglected. Organizing these spaces will save time, money and increase the professional appearance of your office.
Areas shared by more than one employee, such as the office supply closet, storage areas and break room, should be organized by those individuals who share the space.
Start by informing your staff that the office is going to have an organizing day. Everyone should arrive in casual clothing and comfortable shoes.
It’s also helpful to have trash bags, boxes, packing tape, cleaning supplies, dust masks, work gloves and a labeler on hand that day.
Set up staging areas for purged items your office no longer needs. Employees should have a place to put trash, recycling, paperwork for shredding and items that can be donated.
Gather everyone together and tour the spaces to be organized that day. Everyone should give their feedback as to what items are needed, what items can go and how best to organize the space.
There are usually lots of unneeded things lurking in these areas.
In the office supply closet, you may find printer ink and other supplies for equipment no longer in use, an abundance of office supplies (Does your office really need all those pens?) and items that were used for past projects.
Storage areas often become a catchall space for items long forgotten about, like old promotional items and brochures, things with the outdated company logo or address, holiday decorations past their prime, excess raw materials from past projects, outdated electronic equipment and archived paperwork past their shred date.
The break room is often cluttered and unsanitary, which is hardly a peaceful place to take a break or eat lunch. In this area, watch out for mismatched dishware and storage containers left by past employees, bent and broken party decorations, coffee filters and supplies for appliances no longer in service, an abundance of floral shop flower vases and items employees ought to take back to their homes.
Once it is determined what can go and what needs to stay, pair off employees and assign them to organize those spaces. Some employees within the company are naturally more organized and love the whole organizing process. Make sure to split these individuals up among the groups and make them the team captains for the day.
After each area is purged of unwanted items, labeling the space helps ensure remaining things are found quickly and put back in their proper place after use. Label the bins or shelves where the items are located.
Once areas are organized, assign an employee to each space and make it their responsibility to make sure it stays organized. Every employee should be held accountable to respect these spaces in the future and keep them clutter-free.
Get your team on board and make an organized office a reality.