As seen in the Dayton Daily News on September 26, 2015.
If you’re managing an office or are head of a department in a larger company, look around the office to see if disorganization is holding your team back from reaching their full potential.
Do employee offices show the level of professionalism you are striving for, or do they have too many personal items strewn about?
Is paperwork properly filed, or are paper piles on every available surface?
Are the common areas organized so everyone can find what they need, or are employees wasting time looking for things?
If your office is lacking in these areas, it’s time to arrange an organizing day and get everyone involved.
Start by scheduling a day when the office will be fairly quiet and most work activities can be done the following day.
On organizing day, ask employees to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Providing lunch that day is also a good idea so they can stay focused on organizing.
Have supplies on hand, such as trash bags, filing supplies, bankers boxes for archive paperwork, regular boxes for items you want to donate and a labeler for labeling shelves and bins once things are organized.
Put cleaning supplies, paper towels and rags in a central area. As people uncover their desks, for what may be the first time in a long time, they’ll be excited to shine those cleared off surfaces.
Depending on the size of your staff, you as the manager may not get to organize your own office this day. Instead, you become the head delegator and need to be available for questions that often arise.
There will be many cases when your staff needs your permission to let something go.
When I have been involved in helping with the organizing day in various companies, I often see employees holding on to things in their offices because they don’t know the company’s retention plan.
Newer employees frequently don’t know what items might have importance and which ones can be tossed.
To make this day productive, you need to give directions to the group on how the day should go and to individuals who may not know where to start. Not everyone has the organizing skills they need to work in their own space. Offer suggestions and guidance when needed.
Assign teams to work in common areas and get everyone’s input on the best way the space should be organized. Often times, these areas overflow with extra clutter because no one knows who needs what items.
Disorganization affects a company’s bottom dollar and can bring down office moral. Scheduling an office organizing day is a great way to improve office efficiency, while also saving your business time and money.