Monday 11 April, 2016

Bad Workplace Organizing Habits


It isn’t just the home that is tough to keep organized; the workplace leads to many challenges too. There are so many problems with being disorganized at work which go well beyond those you experience at home. Being disorderly in the workplace doesn’t just mean a messy cubicle—it means you have a harder time getting […]


It isn’t just the home that is tough to keep organized; the workplace leads to many challenges too. There are so many problems with being disorganized at work which go well beyond those you experience at home. Being disorderly in the workplace doesn’t just mean a messy cubicle—it means you have a harder time getting through your tasks. It also can put a stain on your employee evaluation; nobody likes a slob. Are you guilty of these bad workplace organizing habits? If so, it is time to fix them.

1. Desk clutter
This problem is such a common one and leads to so many hassles that it deserves (and will get!) its own article. This really does fall under the pile of “bad habits,” because there are so many bad habits which can make your desk a mess—everything from forgetting to file papers into appropriate plastic containers for paperwork to failing to put away desk supplies you don’t need.

2. Using the wrong trash bins
This is a problem for your entire organization. It may not look or feel disorganized to throw recyclable papers away in the trash bin, but it is pretty silly if you have a recycling bin right next to the trash bin. And if you don’t? Plastic recycle bins for office use are affordable and can bring value to your entire organization. Talk to your boss about setting up a better recycling system.

3. Abusing the inventory room
This may mean anything from having a poor office supply room organization scheme to begin with to messing up the system in place. If your office doesn’t have storage bins for office supplies, get them! If there are bins in place, then don’t put supplies back in the wrong containers. And do not pull a container off the shelf and then stick it back in an illogical place. It makes it hard for everyone else to find what they need.

4. Making a mess of the kitchen
How often do you let your dishes pile up at home? Leaving dishes to pile up in the office simply creates problems for everyone else—and looks really bad once everyone figures out whose dishes they are. At that rate, you do not want to let a million dishes you do not need accumulate on your desk or in the break room. At home you may have a dozen unnecessary Tupperware containers, but you do not want them consuming an entire cabinet at work. It simply is not fair to your co-workers. Plus, it is an easy way to lose your stuff. People may assume your personal dishes and containers are communal property.

If you can just resist the urge to let paperwork, dishes, and supplies accumulate, you can do a lot to improve the organization of your cubicle as well as public office spaces such as the break room and the inventory supply room. This will not only make the office a more pleasant place for everyone, but it will make it a more efficient one too, and it will reflect well on your next employee evaluation.

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