Clean Up Your Act (and Your Office)

Spring cleaning is a great way to get a fresh start in the brand-new season, to erase the telltale signs of a long, busy winter, and to organize the spaces where you spend much of your time—including your office.

Working in a cluttered, dirty, disorganized environment takes a toll on your employees’ mental and physical health. It hampers productivity, thwarts efficiency, and ups stress levels—and illness caused by germs on a dirty desktop contributes to the number of sick days your workers have to take.

What better time than the beginning of spring to encourage your employees to declutter, sanitize, and reorganize their workspaces? Getting started is half the battle, so offer some tips to make the undertaking seem less overwhelming:

Recycle or rearrange. Go through files and toss anything that’s out of date or otherwise irrelevant. Make sure your remaining papers are filed away neatly, in a logical order.

Stash things that you don’t use on a regular basis. If you have bookshelves or drawers, use them to arrange reference books or stow away office supplies, stray notebooks, and the like. A spacious desktop makes it easier to focus.

Clean up your virtual desktop, too. Microsoft Home Magazine recommends spring cleaning your computer to help it run faster and more efficiently. Delete obsolete files and programs, update your operating system, and clear your Internet cache.

Disinfect. According to research headed up by Dr. Charles Gerba, the average desktop harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Provide disinfecting wipes for your employees and encourage them to wipe down their desks, computers, and telephones regularly.

Spiff it up. Use a fraction of that newly uncovered desktop space to add a personal effect or two. A small potted plant, a framed photograph of your family, or a pretty desk lamp to combat those harsh fluorescent overheads can breathe new life into a tired workspace.