Are you staring at a mess of files, papers, boxes and more, and do you want to know how to declutter your office? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
Office clutter hinders productivity and the day-to-day operations as employees waste time looking for information. This can sap mental energy and focus as a result, which has a further negative impact on performance.
Heaps of unorganised materials put confidential information and brand reputation at risk. When sensitive data is not properly stored and protected, your business is vulnerable to data breaches.
Additionally the clutter puts workplace safety at risk by creating trips, falls and fire hazards.
We’ve rounded up the top 10 ways to declutter an office. Let’s take a look at how it helps you boost productivity, protect confidential and sensitive information, and improve workplace safety.
1. Clear your desk
Desk clutter hinders organisation, a productive mindset, and the image of your company. Clients are unlikely to form a good first impression when everything from documents to gadgets and personal items are strewn all over a desk.
Clear everything off your desk – computers, phones, other devices, documents, notepads, photos. This creates a fresh start or ‘blank canvas’. Next, decide what is needed to effectively perform your work and only place those things on your desk. Assign zones for items such as your laptop, stationery or monitor.
2. Keep personal items stored away
Phone chargers, earphones, a favourite mug, non-work documents – all of us have personal items at work. These things often take up space and clutter surfaces.
Packing these items away in a drawer or cupboard helps create a tidy office, it also promotes a more professional image.
3. Implement a clean desk policy
A top tip on how to keep your office tidy is having a clean desk policy. This directs workers to tidy up their workspaces at the end of the day and secure confidential and sensitive information.
There are multiple reasons to have a clean desk policy, including boosting your company’s compliance with legislation such as the UK GDPR and preventing data breaches that can land you in legal trouble It’s also a great way to declutter a desk and have it ready for a new workday.
4. Digitise your paper documents
One of the best ways to reduce desk clutter is to digitise your documents. This means that you use document scanning or capturing services to organise and store your documents on computers. It significantly decreases the need for paper-based information, which in turn helps to eliminate physical clutter.
The benefits of digitisation include access controls to help prevent breaches and improved data security.
5. Create a document management process
A tidy office depends on an effective document management processAnd data laws determine how long your business should keep certain documents. The benefits of a document management system include the identification, storage and secure disposal of data. It serves a dual purpose – decluttering the office and keeping your business in line with legislation.
On the surface, developing and implementing this strategy seems like a mammoth task, especially in large setups with many departments. Use document management software to streamline this process and keep all your data ducks in a row.
6. Shred documents you don’t need or use
When thinking about how to keep an office tidy, document shredding is a must. It’s a secure way of destroying redundant data, decluttering work areas, and streamlining the management of important paperwork.
Paper clutter often contains sensitive company and personal information. When this clutter is properly shredded, you minimise security and legal risks, such as theft and exploitation. Shredall SDS Group is your number one go-to for a variety of shredding services that meet legal and business requirements.
7. Organise cords and cables
Cords and cables snaking all over desks and floors create clutter . Apart from loose-lying cables being a trip and fall risk, foot traffic can also damage them and cause fire hazards or equipment downtime.
There are many inventive cable management systems on the market. For example, you can use cable sleeves or protectors to group and safeguard your cables and boost the professional image of your business.
8. Clearly label digital files
Clearly labelled digital files reduce office clutter. After digitising your documents, it’s necessary to identify them.
Organisation and clear labelling make it quick and easy to retrieve information. It saves time and eliminates the duplication or recreation of work that cannot be traced. Shredall SDS Group are recognised and award-winning experts in document management. Get in touch so that we can help you with the digitisation and labelling of your digital files.
9. Create a filing system
An effective filing system is essential when you want to declutter an office. A logical structure with an assigned space for every document keeps your workplace tidy and organised.
Employees will spend less time retrieving and replacing documents, which naturally boosts productivity. Remember, when you have physical, on-site filing spaces, they must comply with the necessary safety regulations as paper is a dry combustible that can ignite and rapidly spread a fire. Check out our top-notch filing system ideas to help you with your strategies.
10. Schedule a weekly clean-up
A tidy office and routine clean-ups go hand in hand. Schedule clean-ups at the end of every work week to declutter your office and prevent uncontrollable pile-ups. Waiting months or delaying clean-ups only consumes hours of valuable time later on to sort things out.
Weekly clean-ups, which include scheduled shredding, help you prevent unnecessary clutter in the first place. It’s a good idea to cement this practice as company policy, which clearly indicates which employees are responsible for which areas. This way, the work is divided equally, and it also motivates workers to keep their desks and areas tidy.
Shred, digitise and organise your files with Shredall SDS Group
At Shredall SDS Group, we help you streamline your document management systems to reduce workplace clutter, maximise document security, and create workspaces that support productivity.
Contact Shredall SDS Group for all your shredding, digitisation and document scanning services. As one of the UK’s leading document management and shredding businesses, we offer award-winning, compliant services that meet legal requirements and protect your company’s confidential and sensitive information.
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