Advanced Systems Plus: Savvy Systems

Much is made of the tangible benefits of an organized workspace—better productivity and improved employee morale among them. Driving these corporate benefits, however, is a less quantifiable personal sense of wellbeing and clarity that comes with having a clean and crisp work environment.

Having been in this business for decades, I tend to view the importance of organized workspaces as a given. So, when I get confirmation that one of our projects is helping drive productivity and creativity, it puts a large smile on my face.

We worked with Elements, the subject of this issue’s “Fitting Solutions profile, to create a barrier wall that optimized use of vertical space and created customized organization for a variety of information materials and samples. According to Elements Principal Traci Lounsbury, this solution improved both form and function.

All of this got me thinking, given the obvious bottom-line benefits of getting and staying organized in both our storage and workspace areas, why does this important issue so often get ignored?

When I say “often, maybe I should use the word “epidemic instead. An Office Depot research project reported on earlier this year cited 32% of respondents admitting to a disorganized workspace and 45% admitting they clean up clutter only monthly—or even less frequently.

Thirty percent of respondents said they had lost an important document due to a messy desk, and 47% said they commonly lost time because of disorganization. Disorganization was cited as a factor in being late to meetings (16%), and missing deadlines (14%).

In contrast, an Inc. Magazine article about the survey pointed out that of the 1,000+ office workers interviewed, fully 82% said that being organized improves their performance.

I believe the top reasons that workspaces get and stay disorganized is habit and lack of adequate and easily–accessed filing and storage systems. Think about it. Most busy people deal with the matter at hand, the raging brushfire, the looming deadline.

Cleaning up is what you do with the dishes after you have dinner. The same analogy applies to our offices. Only, most of us can abide a messy workspace longer than a messy kitchen, so habit keeps us messy.

Even when people want to clean up, they need an efficient method for addressing the piles of stuff. Lacking a clear and user-friendly filing and storage protocol, workers are much less likely to change.

So, given the obvious benefits of an organized workplace, what can a company do to encourage good practices?

First, create a user-friendly space solution. Look at your filing system. Examine your storage. Then, talk to someone you trust in the business—whether it’s us or someone else. Over the years, I have seen many people express surprise at the cost-effectiveness of reinventing their filing and storage solutions.

Second, train employees to adopt a new habit of being organized. Just as disorganization becomes habitual, so can organization. Again, talk to a trusted advisor about how best to do this. If you don’t have one, let us know. We’ll do our best to point you in the right directions, given your specific needs.