Organisation in the workplace | Racking and Shelving

We all know that being organised is a good thing, but what exactly are the benefits? In this article, we will discuss some of the main ways in which getting organised at work specifically can have a positive impact on overall efficiency and work output, as well as some tools you can use to get started on your road to organisation.

An effectively organised workplace can positively impact your work output in a huge number of different ways. Here are a few of the key ways in which you can improve your general efficiency at work by simply getting organised:

Saving time

By properly organising your workplace you can save a huge amount of time which would otherwise be spent searching for important documents or a vital bit of equipment. When things are cluttered or not in a set place it can make the process of picking up the right document take minutes instead of seconds. By decluttering and organising your files and equipment you can save valuable time throughout the working day.

Another way in which you can save time by properly organising your workplace is by sorting things by how frequently you need to access them, making the most frequently accessed items closer to you and easier to get hold of, with the least commonly used things stored further away.

You can also organise things to save time by placing things close to where they are used. Aligning the set-up of your workplace with the work that goes on can save you a lot more time than you might think. Even if it’s only a matter of seconds every time you have to carry out a certain task, those seconds soon stack up into minutes and then hours over the course of a few weeks.

For example, storing your extra paper next to the printer or photocopier rather than in a cupboard on the other side of the office, having the materials used with certain machines next to those machines, or even keeping your mugs and tea bags next to the kettle and sink can all save valuable time at work and make your workplace more efficient as a result.

Looking professional

When making a good impression at work, the way you present yourself is key. This doesn’t just apply to the way you present yourself as a person but also to the way you present your workplace.

Just as you want to put your best foot forward as an individual at work by dressing smartly and presenting yourself well, the same should apply to your workplace. Having your office covered in clutter and disorganised gives off a very different impression than having everything neatly stored and organised.

This is particularly important if you regularly hold meetings or have visits from both clients and potential clients. Having a well-organised working environment can effortlessly give off the impression that you know what you’re doing and can be trusted, leaving anyone who comes to visit with the feeling that they’re in safe hands.

This is also true of Zoom and online meetings. It may only be a small section of your workspace that can be seen in the background of your call, but that’s all that the other people on the call have to go off to form an impression of how you do business. This makes it even more important that the viable space is neat and well-organised to help you look professional and impress your colleagues and clients.

Coming across as professional can help you gain respect, close deals, attract new clients and ultimately improve your work output.

Improving communication and teamwork

It’s very common that in a busy workplace, several people will need access to the same things in order to do their jobs. When things are used by multiple people, and even across multiple teams, there is a tendency for things to get moved around. Of course, when this happens it’s all too easy for things to get lost, or at the very least for people to waste time and energy tracking down what they need across multiple possible locations.

Part of making sure your workplace is properly organised is ensuring that everything has its place. You could separate things out into sections by category, putting each category in a different labelled cupboard or cabinet, for example. This way, everyone knows exactly where to go to find exactly what they need, exactly when they need it, so your team can work together effortlessly.

You can also promote good communication in your workplace by keeping desks and work spaces clean and tidy, making sure no one misses any important messages or memos and nothing important slips under the radar.

Reducing mistakes

Similarly, getting rid of clutter and making sure everything is in its place can have a huge impact on reducing mistakes in the workplace. Anything from losing an important document or item to forgetting about a task because it’s buried under a stack of papers can be avoided simply by getting your workplace organised.

Promoting an organised workplace can encourage your colleagues to be more personally organised too, keeping their own individual spaces tidy and clear. This is particularly important if you have hot desking or a mixture of remote and office-based workers in your team.

As you reduce needless mistakes made by human error you can increase the work output and overall efficiency of your whole workforce.

Improving mental health and wellbeing

You may have heard the phrase “tidy room, tidy mind”. Well, this applies to your workplace too! You spend so much time at work, why not make it as pleasant an environment as possible? No one likes sitting surrounded by clutter all day, and at work, it can create a feeling of being snowed under with tasks.

Being in a cluttered and disorganised place can add to stress and feelings of anxiety, especially when the mess makes it harder to do your job. If your boss suddenly asks to see a file that you haven’t seen for a year it could either be a very stressful task or a very simple one depending on how organised your workplace is.

By organising your workplace you can not only make your office space tidier but also make it much easier to keep tidy moving forwards as suddenly everything will have a place to be put away after use. This means you can help promote a calmer atmosphere at work and improve mental health and well-being in the long run too.

Keeping your workplace clean and tidy also helps your workforce to feel valued and appreciated, which can boost productivity and raise morale.

Making your workplace safer

Health and safety is incredibly important in all workplaces. Everyone has the right to feel safe and protected at work. Being surrounded by mess doesn’t make anyone feel safe and looked after, and it actually can also be dangerous.

This is particularly important in workplaces that deal with manufacturing, packing and shipping industries as there tend to be large volumes of products being handled. A disorganised stockroom can be extremely dangerous as it can become full of tripping and slipping hazards, fire risks and emergency exits can easily get blocked.

However, even in an office environment a disorganised and messy space can pose a health and safety risk:

• Loose papers which get onto the floor become slippery, and any other clutter can become a tripping hazard

• Coats and bags on the floor can easily lead to trips and falls

• Lots of clutter makes it much harder to keep an office clean, which increases the risk of spreading contagious diseases

• Loose papers left out can become a fire hazard, especially if they are left close to electrical equipment which could overheat or spark

• Lots of mess around the office can contribute to mental health issues and low morale.

Reducing waste

It’s not just time that can be wasted when a workplace isn’t properly organised; a huge amount of waste can be generated just due to poor organisation.

Having to make new copies or print-outs of documents that you can’t find wastes a lot of paper and expensive ink. Papers and products can easily be damaged if they’re jumbled up with a lot of other clutter, which may lead to a lot of waste as they have to be thrown away and replaced.

All of these little bits of waste may seem like nothing on their own but can all too easily build up to become a really sizable chunk of your profits wasted. You can avoid all this needless waste simply by organising your workplace correctly.

Storage solutions to get you organised

At the end of the day, a huge proportion of successful workplace organisation comes down to efficient and effective storage. If you want to reorganise your workplace to be more efficient, at Racking and Shelving we have a wide range of handy storage solutions to get you started.

Shelving

At Racking and Shelving, we have a huge variety of different shelving solutions on offer depending on what your requirements are. If you have a stockroom, warehouse or storage room which needs organising, we stock countless different types of warehouse racking and shelving units which could do the job. If you work in an office, we have shelving which would work perfectly for displaying your folders and files in an easily accessible and organised way.

Cabinets and cupboards

Cabinets and cupboards are great for storing those items which you don’t need access to throughout the day, or for storing things which you don’t want to keep out on display. Clunky or generally unsightly things can be tucked neatly into a cabinet or cupboard and the doors closed to keep them out of sight. These doors can also easily be labelled or even colour coded to help identify the contents without even having to open the doors.

These can be made to measure so that they will fit seamlessly into any space you have, filling dark and dusty corners with something useful and practical.

Small parts storage

At Racking and Shelving, we also offer a range of small parts storage solutions, perfect for the types of bits and bobs which often contribute to general clutter and can easily get lost. These can come in the form of small shelves, drawers or even colour-coded or labelled bins and baskets for easily sorting things into their categories with minimal effort.

You can speak to one of our experts for help and advice on which small parts storage solution, or solutions, will work best for your requirements.

Lockers

Lockers are a great addition to any workplace as they allow your workers to safely store their personal belongings somewhere secure during the working day, or even overnight. Having lockers available allows people to feel that they are valued and that their possessions are safe, giving them peace of mind during the day.

Crucially lockers also prevent people from simply leaving their coats and bags wherever they see a space, typically on the floor or on their desks, cluttering up the space and leading to trips and falls.

For more information on the organisational tools and storage solutions we have to offer, you can look at our brochure online. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us to discuss your needs and see how we can meet them. At Racking and Shelving, we have decades of experience in safe and flexible storage systems and we’ll be more than happy to put our expertise behind your organisation project.