The mantra when finding an office is location, location, location; keeping it tidy thereafter it’s storage, storage, storage!
Assuming you’ve done a sensible audit of whether you really need to be keeping all of the current clutter (channel your inner Marie Kondo), identifying that it is not just accumulated detritus no-one has the authority or momentum to remove. Then you must provide well-planned storage to organise your essential ‘stuff’.
As humans we instinctively nest in our day spaces, or the office in this instance. Make your employees more comfortable with a storage cupboard or good-sized pedestal or cubby so that they can stash their personal belongings, providing a sense of security for them and clearing the floors of trip hazards and untidy personal debris. Storage solutions on wheels can also be moved for access and to temporarily provide additional work surfaces. If your people use the same desk daily and have files, books or implements needed racks and shelving provide accessible solutions to get those items off the desk worksurface. If there’s a drawer or cupboard, they’re much less likely to have items on the surface, avoiding ugly pen-pot misery and the hunt for missing chargers and rulers under the keyboard.
In a hot-desking environment the often travel laden ‘nester’ can be a little irritating to their desk mates. Providing good storage lockers/cupboards for bags and equipment, whether in or away from the work area, can vastly improve their experience and feelings of welcome and safety during the day. It has the additional benefit of stopping them from messing up the space for their colleagues and providing a clutter eyesore for visitors.
Bear in mind the average commuter could have their bag, a laptop bag, a bulky coat, an umbrella, a hat, a change of clothes or a gym bag, and their lunch. They’ve packed for their day, and you need to provide the storage for it, so a tiny square locker just isn’t going to cut it! Consider larger lockers with combination locks (easy for visitors/clumsy key-losers), wardrobes or hook racks for coats and an umbrella stand near the entry point so no one has to drip all over the floor or have a soggy polyester baton on their desk all day.
Utilising vertical space with tall storage and wall mounted hooks/cupboards frees up floor and desk space and has a vast improvement on perceived tidiness. Reminiscent of how we tend to store items residentially this also is a comfortingly familiar storage provision.
If your desk cabling looks like a snake pit get some cable management solutions: cable trays and risers are very cost-efficient and easy to install, effortlessly bundling cables into sleek and pleasing flows, freeing up leg space and making the area more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Your IT department will also thank you.
Storage doesn’t have to be just boring big cupboards on the periphery of the office; perhaps consider more open plan units which provide some hidden storage as well as spaces for decorative objects, planting or tidy filing. These can act at as subtle yet effective space dividers by providing defined areas with their injections of colour and interest.
Reception areas, meeting and board rooms are spaces seen by outsiders and should always look good, a reflection of your company’s efficiency and unique style. Credenza units offer unassuming yet copious hidden storage you’re happy to have on display. Many have the option for rear cabling enabling you to configure equipment and AV displays neatly. An ideal companion to a large screen TV, artwork or logo.
If what you’re storing doesn’t need frequent access consider an independent storage room, where behind a closed-door racking or cupboards can take advantage of the full ceiling height, compiling and protecting your files and equipment freeing up valuable office space.
Buoyed up by your newly organised, stylish and calm environment you would be set to be that super productive dynamo you always suspected you could be – go you!
From a single pedestal to a full office refit, the neat freaks at Mobius can help you establish the best solutions for your needs. With access to a wide range furniture and storage options, backed with cutting edge design technology and spatial planning services, we can assist in optimising any working environment. Please get in touch if you want to know more!