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10 Storage and Organization Ideas to Make Any Office Run Smoothly

An office is a busy place with a lot to keep track of. A cluttered, disorganized space can cause unnecessary stress and make employees waste time having to wade through jumbled drawers and stacks of paperwork to find what they need. Following these handy tips for office organization can ensure the workspace stays clean and uncluttered, reducing stress, saving time, and ensuring employee happiness.

1. Purge the space

Ask everyone to spend a few minutes once a week or once a month purging their space. De-clutter the desk area, drawers, and cupboards by removing everything they don’t need or want, or haven’t used in a while. Check all office equipment to ensure it’s working correctly and send anything out for repair that’s broken.

2. Put everything away

While purging the space, take a few minutes to collect up everything that isn’t where it belongs and put it away in the proper area, closet, or storage cabinet. This makes it simple to find items the next time employees need them.

3. Get as much as possible off the floor

Offices are busy places, and it’s not unusual for desks to get so cluttered that employees start to store items on the floor. Eliminate this problem by providing shelving units and bookcases near each workspace. Vertical storage efficiently uses an area and provides employees with space to keep frequently used files and items at eye level.

4. Keep items for a certain activity in one space

Ensure that everything needed for an activity is kept in one area. If your company ships items out to customers, create a dedicated shipping area with all the supplies and tools. Equip the mailroom with office storage furniture such as literature organizers that have individual slots for assigning mail to departments or specific employees so everyone gets their deliveries in a timely manner. Hutches on top of desks work well as smaller file organizers, providing a convenient place for delivering mail for employees when they’re away from their desks, and which they can organize to their own liking.

5. Make sure frequently used items are nearby

Any supplies or equipment that specific employees use most should be within easy reach of those employees so they don’t have to get up and walk to the printer, shredder, or supply closet. Less frequently used items can be put away or stored in a more centralized area.

6. Encourage frequent filing, scanning, or shredding

Make sure nobody uses their desk area as their inbox as this is the way employees lose critical paperwork. Documents such as signed contracts and other important paperwork should be quickly filed. If the office keeps documents in digital form, scan everything as soon as it’s ready. Shred, discard, or recycle any out of date or unnecessary paperwork promptly.

7. Create a folder for everything

An efficient filing system that includes a folder for everything is an effective office storage solution. Use hanging folders as main placeholders and manila inner folders to keep everything separated and organized. Then it’s easy for employees to pull out the manila folder with the paperwork they need and refile it when done.

8. Purchase a label maker

While it may not seem worth taking the time to label shelves, storage bins, baskets, files, and drawers, it is worth the effort. When everything has a label it reminds each employee where things belong and also makes it easier for people to find the supplies they need.

9. Wrap electronic cords

Computer cords and those for other electronics can quickly become a jumbled mess. This not only looks unsightly but can become a safety hazard. Fortunately, cable managers, cord covers, and twist ties provide a fast way to untangle cords and keep things tidy.

10. Provide whiteboards or corkboards

Make sure every employee has a whiteboard or corkboard by their desk where they can keep checklists, to-do lists, and other necessary reminders. Jotting things down in a place where it’s easily seen is an excellent way to start any new process until the routine becomes second nature. When it’s not needed anymore, employees can simply remove and throw away the note or clean off the whiteboard.

These are just a few office storage ideas that will work for many workplaces. Remember an organized workplace is also an efficient one, with employees spending more time getting the important work done and less time searching for the supplies or documents they need.

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