Time for Spring Cleaning

Is a cluttered desk the sign of a cluttered mind? More than 8 in 10 human resource managers interviewed by staffing service Office Team think so.

For the survey, 500 HR managers were asked, “How does the neatness of an employee’s desk or office affect your perception of that person’s level of professionalism?” Eighteen percent of respondents said their perception was “greatly affected” and that a lack of neatness is a negative; 65% said “somewhat affected;” and only 17% said “no affect at all.”

A tidy desk doesn’t necessarily boost an employee’s career, says OfficeTeam. But a messy one can slow productivity or be a distraction to colleagues, customers, or clients.

OfficeTeam also offered HR managers some tips to share with messy desk offenders:

• Sit in your visitor’s chair to get a perspective on what others see when entering your cubicle or office
• Establish an organization system that suits your style
• File, don’t pile
• Don’t touch the same piece of paper more than once without filing, recycling, tossing it or passing it along
• Keep only the materials needed for your current project on your desk
• Print documents only when necessary and go paperless
• Take a few minutes before lunch and again just before leaving the office to clear your workspace