Feng shui, the ancient art and science that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space, is a term that’s probably been thrown around your office at one time or another. Finding the harmony and making your office workspace more efficient has, in fact, landed on the agendas on many office managers. The good news is, there are a few things you can do immediately to make a more efficient office workspace.
Take inventory. (And by that, we mean start by doing nothing more than taking a good look around). What do you see? If the answer is disorganized cube set ups, random file cabinets, drawers overflowing, yet a space littered with empty desks and an overall fairly mundane floor plan… it’s time to make a change. Create a new blueprint for the way you want your office to look. Then, let it be your guide.
Turn Physical Storage into Digital Storage: Once upon a time, a professional organizer may have suggested proper shelving to stack all the boxes cluttering up the office. But what you really need to do is take all those file folders, documents and other important pieces of paper relevant to your business and create a digital archive. This not only saves on space (goodbye, boxes!), it allows for quick retrieval of all documents properly stored on a computer server. So long clutter, hello efficiency!
Clean off your work surface: Repeat after me – “My desktop space is not a garbage can.” It’s a motto more of us should follow, especially if you walk through your office space and really take a look at everyone’s desks. Chances are the majority of them will be covered in old files, knick knacks, yesterday’s lunch carton, empty beverage containers, takeout menus and the like. Hidden away are awards, diplomas and certificates of achievement that should be more prominently displayed.
Replace ‘all those machines’ with all-in-one machines: How long has your business been operating with a copy machine in one corner, a fax machine in the other, several printers (some not even on a network) scattered around the room and the constant hum of electronic machinery serving as ambient noise in a seemingly never-ending loop? If you can find a machine that does three jobs and takes up the space of one, your efficiency is likely to skyrocket. Plus, there’s the added benefit of no more missing warranty cards, or hours on hold with tech support. One machine means one call for a product that will save you time, money and endless frustration. The result? Better efficiency.
On a final note, we bring you this study from the University of Penn, which found that making changes for a more efficient use of office space led one company to fit the same number of employees – 1,300 at once facility – into square footage that was a quarter of the size they previously occupied. Not only does that impact their bottom line, the company in question said early signs showed the changes helped to foster better communication and idea sharing.
Are you looking into ways to make a more efficient use of your office space? Contact us today to learn more.