Messy Workstations=Lower Performance

Most people can not live up to their full potential in the workplace if they are surrounded by mess, chaos, and disorganization. A messy work station decreases employee productivity, lowers employee morale, and hinders creativity and focus. Employees with an unorganized and messy work station spend an average of one hour per day looking for misplaced papers and documents.

If you've been looking for ways to boost the mood in your office, use time more effectively and increase overall performance, a workstation clean up initiative may be in order. Here are four ways disorganized work stations are hindering your company's productivity and what you can do to fix it.

Clutter Hinders Creativity

All employees will get to a point where the disorder of their workspaces starts to overwhelm them. When they get to this point, they will focus more on their physical surroundings than their task at hand. This decreases their ability to think outside of the box, plan, brainstorm, or come up with new ideas because a lot of their focus is on their desk and everything on it. If your business depends on the ideas and creative solutions of your employees, you can't afford to let mess, clutter, and chaos be a part of their workspace. When their desk is cluttered, so is the part of their brain that is in charge of creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.

Give employees the freedom to work in a space that fosters their creativity. If they think better outside, allow for walks around the building or taking a phone call out in the parking lot. If they work better in an organized and clean space, give them the time and resources they need to create this space for themselves.

Disorder Breeds Distraction

Messy workstations make it hard for employees to focus on the task at hand. Similar to the point above, when they are surrounded by mess, they don't have space in their brains to see a problem clearly and brainstorm solutions. If things are always falling off of their desk, if they are continually rummaging through papers to find necessary documents, or they're always searching for a pen, paper clip, stapler, or highlighter, they can't give a problem or project their full attention.

Encourage employees to use desk organization tools, so they have a spot for all of the tools they use daily.

Untidy Desks Are Time Wasters

In business, time is money. The more time your employees spend looking for lost items and tracking down misplaced paperwork, the more money you are wasting. It may only seem like minutes at a time, but when you add up all the time employees spend fighting against their messy workstations, it adds up. A messy work station also increases the time it takes to complete a project since employees aren't able to be creative or focus as they should. A messy workstation often leads to duplicating work, missed deadlines, and wasted time.

Mess Is Bad For Mental Health

A chaotic workstation negatively impacts the way employees feel about work. Walking into a disorganized mess every day immediately reduces employee morale and makes them feel less motivated to be productive. Sometimes just the thought of having to organize or clean their workspaces can be a source of anxiety. An employee can not work at his/her full potential if the weight of their mess is holding them down.

A messy desk can be a source of embarrassment, as many employees may feel judged by employers or coworkers based on the condition of their workspace. Mess is not good for mental health, and if your goals are profit and productivity, you want to prioritize the mental health of your employees.

Some ways to encourage organized workstations in your business include:

• Asking the most organized employees to lead a workshop or share tips/tricks on how they stay organized

• Nominating the least organized employees for an office makeover that includes tools and resources to help them keep their space clean

• Implementing a clean desk policy

• Planning a "Work On Your Workstation" time where employees are given time, on the clock, to focus on the organization of their desks/offices.

• Bringing in a professional organizer to train and educate employees and give the entire office a fresh start

A Staffing Agency Can Help You Get Organized

One of the best ways to ensure your employees stay organized is to hire organized employees. An Orange County staffing agency can help select employees from their extensive network who express a deep understanding of organization, time management, and productivity. A staffing agency can also take over some of the administrative tasks of your business (such as payroll, recruitment, and your HR department) so that you can help your employees adopt a more organized way to work.

If you aren't sure why your company hasn't been reaching deadlines or meeting their numbers recently, take a look around. Messy workstations could be the culprit. Contact a staffing agency today to start building a team that values organization and can increase the productivity and efficiency of your company.