You have your office space, and now you are ready to get to work. The thing is, your office might not be work ready yet. Sure, you can fill it with employees and tell them what to do, but that doesn’t mean you are working. All that means is that they look like they are working. To work, you need to be productive. And, to be productive, you need to get organized.
So, ask yourself one question: ‘is your office organized?’ Most of you will answer no to this question because lots of offices aren’t organized correctly. That in itself is amazing because the link between organization and productivity is irrefutable. Fortunately for you, it doesn’t take much to whip it into shape. Here are nine ways you can whip it into shape without breaking a sweat.
1. Revolution Over Evolution
Evolution is usually better than evolution because nothing is that bad that it needs tearing upside down. However, in this case, it’s easier to start again than it is to take the time to evolve your office. Start by clearing everything you don’t need out of the office. Clutter is the nemesis of organization as it gets in the way and makes it harder to keep on point. The trick is to get rid of everything you don’t need or that is irrelevant. Does that sound easy? Well it isn’t, because most bosses don’t know what is essential and what is insignificant. A tip: if it doesn’t help in any way, it isn’t useful. That goes for everything from furniture to supplies.
2. Give Everything A Home
Now that you have a blank space, you can start afresh. The one thing that you want to do is give everything in your office a place. When it has a place, it can’t be left around the office cluttering up the place. And by everything, that means everything! If need be, install more storage space to ensure that all the bases are covered. Shelving, for instance, is a great place to put files and folders, as are drawers. You will find that life is much easier when you can go to a place and find exactly what you need.
3. Buy A Label Maker
You can’t organize any space without labels. And what do you need to make labels? A label maker! Honestly, it might seem like a small investment, but it will make all of the difference. People tend to respond better to visual cues than any other cue. As a result, telling your employees where to put things can get lost in translation. They might not listen properly or forget, for example. But, when that area is properly marked, it is impossible to miss. Think of labels like air traffic controllers guiding you into the landing strip.
4. Invest In Equipment
It’s amazing how many bosses complain about not getting things done, only to realize they don’t have the proper tools. How can you expect your staff to do their jobs if they don’t have the gear? The answer is you can’t, or you shouldn’t because it is unreasonable. As the boss, it is your job to ensure that you have everything you and your team needs to be productive. Otherwise, the organizational and production levels will fall off a cliff. By the way, equipment is a broad term for every material or item that you need. A photocopier is an equipment, so is the paper shredder Let’s not forget how much another equipment – the coffee machine- helps.
5. Keep Up To Date With Changes
Working in business means that you are going to need your finger on the pulse. Things will change and change quickly. And, when they do, you need to be able to react. Take equipment as an example again. If you don’t know how the changes in production products affect your business, how can you exploit them? Better yet, how can you give your business the best chance to succeed? Presentation products are just one example of a wider issue that affects the whole industry. When you are on the ball, you are organized. And, when you are organized, you are always ready to react to changes in the market.
6. Close Proximity
Work out what you need to do your job on a daily basis. When you figured that out, keep them close to hand. Everything else can do packed up and stored away somewhere else. The benefit of having them close is that you don’t have to waste time finding them to do your job. Because they are organized in an efficient manner, you don’t have to break your stride. The key to organization and production is efficiency. The more efficient your office, the higher the levels of organization and production.
7. Create Work Zones
These are places where your staff can sit and work. The obvious example is a desk. The desk and their computer are where they do the majority of their work (the main workspace). And then there is the reference area (filing cabinet) and the supply area (drawers and shelves). These spaces are great for productivity because they are well organized and easy to understand. Another option is to create a mass work environment. Companies like Google and Facebook are notorious for these kinds of work spaces. And, judging from their success, they seem to be working!
8. Make it Less Boring
The problem with office spaces is that they are dull and boring. Your employees see this, and it affects them during a normal working day. Instead of working as hard as possible, they let their environment get them down – they get bored. As a result, they don’t work as hard as they could do because they don’t feel like it. You have to promote a productive work environment by organizing one. A couple of neat tricks are to let in lots of light and set a nice, ambient temperature. Another favorite is giving them frequent breaks. When they have breaks, they come back refreshed and ready to work.
See, organizing your office doesn’t have to be that hard!