This month, from the 25th April – 1st May, National Stationery Week celebrates the power of the pen, writing and all things stationery, helping people in the workplace become more aware of its usefulness for productivity and business. Stationery can indeed play an important role in many work related activities, such as improving organisation and helping people remember important information, however it’s also very prone to introducing clutter in the workplace. Through trying to be more organised with restocked stationery supplies, we are often creating more mess, which could be detrimental to working quality and efficiency.
A messy, unorganised space with lots of stationery and documents around the desk, or over-spilling stationery in disarray in the cupboards, can impact negatively on staff’s work ethic – a clear space means a clear mind! As well as this, a messy space makes key files or items harder to locate which could disrupt operations, and doesn’t set the best impression of your business as a whole. So, if you’ll be refuelling your workplace with a fresh supply of stationery in light of National Stationery Week, here are some clever ways you can clear the clutter and ensure a productive space:
Rearrange your layout
Having a stationery cupboard in a hard to access or out of the way area, may lead people to grab much more stationery than they need in one go, leading to a cluttered desk and potential waste. Simply changing the layout of your storage so that items can be retrieved more easily and quickly, could help you save money on supplies as well as improve working efficiency. Our experienced team can help advise you on the most appropriate layout for your storage, based on your needs and available space. Our clever storage units, with the option for panels or doors, can also conceal clutter whilst optimising your working space.
Create more space
In order to beat the clutter, it may simply be the case that you need more space to house your stationery supplies. It may be that you’ve grown as a company since your storage was fitted and it can no longer hold supplies effectively, or you have an ever-growing collection of files that need storing. Yet creating more space doesn’t mean that you have to allocate more of your working area for new storage units; updating your storage with clever, space efficient solutions could help to hide current clutter and even help you to organise additional supplies.
Opt for hidden storage
There are a number of storage options that can easily hide any stationery on show – a desk side rotary storage unit can spin around to conceal items in the back whilst displaying a stylish panel design to the office. Another option is to have a tambour cabinet door system, which blends in with your office aesthetic and can offer ample storage space. So, if things do tend to become disordered, especially in a busy setting, you can be rest assured that the stationery storage will look tidy and presentable.
Set storage at the right level
If your office houses a large number of folders, documents or items which can look unsightly if exposed, lower level storage may be a better option. Keeping stationery on show away from the eye-level of passers-by, will promote the idea of a less cluttered space, and help with productivity.
Give everything a home
Without segregation or dedicated places stationery items, from pens and post-its to archives, can create a large mess and become difficult to see. Additionally these items will more likely become damaged and could cost you more to replace them. A customised storage solution that can house individual items within specific sections, is a highly effective way of increasing organisation, minimising damaged goods and creating a more pleasant work space. With a neatly organised stationery unit, staff will also be more inclined to place items in their correct place and keep the office in a decluttered, presentable way.
Keep it secure
Installing a storage system that restricts access, such as a locker system for personal items or a shelving unit with PIN access for authorised individuals only, will prevent items being misused or wasted and will add a degree of responsibility for staff to keep the storage tidy. Storage with added security is easy to install and will help improve the organisation of the space in the long-term.
For any storage advice or to find out more about our range of clever storage units, please contact us on 01782 770144, or use our online contact form.
