How does your workspace make you feel? Are you happy with the sight of your office when you arrive? Tidiness and organisation do matter and can make a difference. Studies have proven that when your workspace is cluttered, it’s difficult to process information, let alone focus on priorities, projects and tasks.

Reducing clutter reduces stress

Paper clutter is the primary cleaning obstacle in the workplace. In an office lacking organisation, it’s easy to misplace important documents. This brings on unwanted, unnecessary stress. Many people in an office environment save everything in order to remember important details and to reduce bad decision-making. This results in multiple copies of the same document, creating clutter. 

This sort of clutter and disorganisation can be avoided with document guidelines. These guidelines determine what to keep and what to toss. Then documents should be stored properly. For smaller companies, finding room for storage can be difficult. Some smaller companies turn to alternatives like Spacer, a great substitute for in-house storage. 

Maybe the piles of paper everywhere don’t bother you. However, this unorganised system will soon collapse on itself; it’s unsustainable. Can someone else find something in your absence? This is a great indicator of a messy desk. If not, clean it up. 

Cleanliness inspires confidence

Many people believe that an office space is a reflection of a company. ‘First impressions count’ is a saying that applies to a business and an office. What do your clients, vendors, colleagues, prospective employees and other visitors see? A dirty break room, cluttered desk or messy reception area does not inspire confidence in your professionalism or ability to manage the finer details.

If your office doesn’t have the luxury of cleaners, set aside time as an office to clean individual areas, including desktops, filing areas or even shredding unneeded documents. Anything that is no longer needed could be placed on a swap table for other employees to take. Sell these items online and put the earnings in an office lunch fund.

Approaching cleaning as a team event provides an opportunity for bonding and may even contribute to improved relationships among co-workers. Don’t approach it as a task or punishment. Don’t be surprised to find an increase in employee morale as your office is transformed into a cleaner, safer, healthier, happier place to work. Because yes, cleaning matters.

Employees’ wellbeing 

Cold and flu viruses hang around on hard surfaces for almost 20 hours. Over 50% of office workers have stated that they come into work while under the weather – simply wiping down office items with anti-bacterial fluid every day is key in reducing the spread of office bugs.

Most infections are spread through hand contact. Make sure you are washing your hands regularly.

Eating in the office 

It has been claimed that the average keyboard has more or similar amounts of bacteria to a toilet seat. Hopefully that deters you from eating at your desk. Moving away from your desk or workstation is ideal for digestion and mental clarity. Don’t risk attracting infection. 

Focus

Understanding what needs to be done is more difficult with clutter. Often distractions stem from clutter and messiness. You can find yourself jumping from one task to another and accomplishing little. Cleaning up your space, leaving just the items you need, promotes focus.  

This doesn’t just apply to tangible items or the physical space you are in. It’s key to set time for digital organisation. If you are like the majority of people, you didn’t do this from the start, and now have a desktop covered in who knows what. 

Morale

You'd be surprised how much your mood can change based on your surroundings. Instead of manoeuvring around extra furniture or keeping your gaze away from unorganised piles of papers on top of filing cabinets, take a few minutes to tidy up and organise your office space. Employees' surroundings can significantly affect how they view their jobs.