The benefits of good office organisation

Celebrated by over 20% of the world’s population, the vibrant period of Chinese New Year festivities will soon draw to a close with the spectacular Lantern Festival on March 2nd. Other celebrations involve welcoming Spring and new beginnings, encouraging prosperity and warding away evil. Money is given in red envelopes, fireworks are set off and house cleaning is carried out to sweep away bad luck.

In the spirit of embracing a fresh start and with the new financial year approaching, taking a little inspiration from the East could be helpful for your office harmony. Good office organisation extends beyond aesthetics and creating space- productivity and morale can hugely benefit from a tidy environment.

We spend so much of our time at work that our desks can become a home away from home. As happens in homes, it’s all too easy to gather unused things and clutter can quickly build up. Screens framed with post-it notes and paperwork piles around desks are common sights in offices, and may be affecting the way we work.

Productivity suffers when clutter rules. According to a recent study, the average employee spends seven working days a year looking for misplaced paperwork. That wasted time, roughly equating to one million hours a week, could result in UK businesses losing upwards of £20 million per year in lost productivity. Easy fixes involve utilising simple desk tidies, under-desk drawers and cabinets to easily sort and tidy every-day stationery and papers.

Think reducing your desk down to the essentials. Consider keeping sentimental decorations on your work station to a minimum, although homely and familiar they can encourage procrastination. Not only will you have more space but the less visual distractions you have, the more you can focus on your current task. Out of sight needn’t be out of mind however, keep on top of pending jobs with streamlined to-do lists and wall-planners.

Remember to question whether you really need to click that print button. Rely more on your tech for taking info to meetings, utilising tablets, smartphones and laptops to keep things paper-free. Switch to cloud-based storage for the future of your filing- minimising paper usage, creating office space and improving workflow thanks to the ability to remotely access documents and collaborate on projects from any location. Your environmental footprint will thank you, too.

Productivity and aesthetics aside, with GDPR looming now is the time for a clear out and to confront old filing systems. You may have sensitive information stored in archives and boxes that could result in hefty fines after stricter data protection regulations come into force in May. Make it a priority for your staff to assess how they handle and store important documents, check what needs to be destroyed and utilise secure shredding services.

Use the approach of the new financial year to get on top of your office organisation- minimalise your workspace and maximise your productivity. Contact one of our account managers for further information regarding secure shredding solutions or for business supplies quotes and advice.