How to Improve Organization in the Workplace

Organization helps improve workflow.

Disorganization in a workplace leads to wasted energy when employees have to search for tools and materials or have to avoid physical obstacles. By taking measures to improve organization, you give employees control of their environment, reduce waste, and create and use efficient processes to improve productivity and make the workplace safer. By identifying and prioritizing the areas of your workplace that have the greatest opportunities to improve, you may create a standard of organization that can serve as a benchmark for the future.

Instructions

1. Identify the areas of the workplace that need the most improvement. Start with these areas first.

2. Sort through all of the materials in each section of the workplace and throw out items that workers no longer use or are broken. If an item is in usable condition but is no longer needed, consider donating it to a nonprofit thrift store.

3. Use storage containers for the items in the workplace that you decide to keep. You may use these containers to separate the materials that you use often from those that you only use on occasion so workspaces are more orderly and efficient. In addition to large boxes, you may use smaller boxes as part of your organization system to hold tools, pens and extra equipment. Desk organizers and document holders that hang on walls may also serve to organize work in progress. Use a label maker to identify the contents of storage containers so it's simpler to find and replace items.

4. Clean the workplace. Cleaning all of the equipment in a workplace may help employees see if there are hazards or risks. For example, if you work in the manufacturing industry, cleaning a piece of machinery may reveal cracked parts that pose a danger. In addition to dusting, shining and vacuuming, cleaning may also include filing and shredding documents.

5. Create a standardized process or routine that all employees should use to maintain organization and efficiency. For example, in a doctor's office, a process may include doctors placing patients' files in a specific box instead of randomly on a counter so an office manager knows that he needs to file these files in the appropriate area. Provide group and one-on-one employee training to help staff learn the new processes.

6. Encourage employees to maintain the new organizational systems so they internalize them and don't regress to previous habits.

References

• Manufacturing Automation; Workplace Organization; Steve Krar
• "NADL Journal of Dental Technology"; Business Sense --- How Workplace Organization (Lean 5-S) Can Improve Your Laboratory; Fred Kemp