The employer is responsible for the overall cleanliness of the office space. Although this is true, it is still a must for employees to do their part to maintain the cleanliness of the place they work at.
When employees work in a messy and disorganized environment, it affects their stress levels and their ability to do their jobs. Aside from that, it can also affect their health so it is definitely important for them to keep their workspace clean and organized.
There are several practices that one can do to maintain office cleanliness. Read on below to find out some of these practices.
Toss out the clutter
Although you have every right to decorate your work desk, sometimes it can create a lot of clutter and noise. This can distract you from your work and may even make you feel a bit stifling.
Aside from that, if you’re bringing in work-relevant items or if you have snacks with you, then make sure that you clean up after yourself. Don’t leave any office cutleries at the desk and don’t let the mess pile up on it.
If you don’t, you might find yourself with a mountain of clutter. You’ll end up intimidated by the amount of work it’ll take you to clean your desk so be minimal about the items you bring.
Store your office supplies properly
Keeping your workspace clean isn’t only about bringing in items that are only essential to your work. Sometimes the office supplies are the clutter on your desk. Thus, an NYC office cleaning believes it is good practice to have particular storage space for certain office supplies.
This way, you won’t leave anything lying around your desk. It will also save you precious time from looking where you put your stuff, and use it for work-related activities instead,
The storage doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A small tray or a basket with low partitions will do.
Organize your filing system
Paperwork is difficult to organize. Don’t get into the habit of just shoving any and all paperwork that you receive in the filing cabinets. Otherwise, you will have a hard time looking for them later when you need them.
Set up a filing system in place to help guide you to which particular documents and files are in where. If it’s paperwork that other people will also need, you should inform them of your filing system.
Better yet, make a label that they can reference at all times. This way they don’t have to go through a single person every time they need any particular documents.
Refrain from eating at your desk
If you are feeling a bit peckish but don’t want to lose your mojo, then you might think to eat at your desk. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with doing that. However, this can be one of the major sources of a mess at your desk.
At the very least, make sure that you have a trash bin near you. Otherwise, get into the habit of throwing away your trash immediately after you’re done eating.
The best option, however, is to not eat at your desk as much as possible. Don’t eat your lunch at your desk. Give yourself a time to disconnect from work and let yourself stand up and eat inside the pantry or outside the office.
Clean up before you go
If you have a particularly busy work day, it can be difficult to keep the habit of taking your trash with you when you leave your desk. Case in point, you have to remember to pick up your trash before you clock out.
When you’re doing a quick look around at your desk to make sure you didn’t leave anything important before going home, you might as well scan for leftover trash. Walk by the trash bin before heading home. It’s so simple that you barely have any excuses not to do it.
Besides, no one likes coming back to a trash-infested workspace in the morning. So get yourself into the right mindset by picking up your trash before you leave.
Keep a trash can within reach
When forming a habit such as keeping your workspace perpetually clean, it is crucial that you make it convenient for you to keep doing the habit. In the case of a less messy desk, make sure you have a trash bin that is within your reach.
The ideal place for a trash bin is underneath your desk. However, one that is an arm-length away is fine too. This way, you won’t have an excuse not to throw away your trash.
Wrap up
Employers aren’t the only ones responsible for the cleanliness of their office. Employees are a vital part of it, too. After all, keeping a clean office is for their overall well-being.
By making systematic changes to your workday and incorporating cleaning habits, you do less “cleaning” and preventing more mess to pile up.
