You Could Be In Danger Of Mismanaging Your Office Space

Posted on Jun 8 2015 - 6:29pm by Editorial Staff

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Trying to save space in your business? Not everybody can afford infinite storage space, so of course you are. Space is as valuable a commodity as technology and human resources. This goes doubly in places where office space is expensive.

Any space that is being used unwisely is a thread to productivity and profitability. Unwise space usage doesn’t just come in one form though.

For example, office supplies. Having too many office supplies to fit properly in a storage unit can be trouble on several fronts. First of all it could be a tripping hazard if the excess is placed anywhere it shouldn’t. It might be tempting just to leave that extra box of paper near the printer. What if someone falls head first into a table though?

Similarly, overstocking the supplies is going to cause issues. If you are stacking things too high on shelves, they’re liable to topple. If the items fit but are too heavy, they could collapse the structure. You’re putting people at risk letting them do this.

Of course, this kind of space issue is also indicative of a cost issue. You’re just buying too many office supplies. Dial down the orders to fit your needs. It’ll save you money, space, and possibly injury.

A lot of these principles also go for records. Wall to wall records can take up several rooms of your building. While you may need some paper copies on site, Private Virtual Servers can be used to back up work and records off-site digitally. Not only can you download it again should the copies in-house be erased, but you can update and upload new records easily.

Of course, people also fall into the space issue. You want to manage a number of people you have on any given floor for numerous reasons. From a business perspective, you don’t want to go too far over or under.

This means you could overcrowd the office floor. It can also mean you’re understaffing it, leading to productivity problems and just wasting good space. This is a balance of optimal amount of people for optimal amount of productivity.

Putting them too close together creates a battery hen environment, high pressure and distracting. Sticking them too far apart disrupts communication.

Office decoration also can play havoc with space. While the occasional plant or comfortable chair may brighten up the decor, you can’t fill the room with them. You’re creating a business environment not a spa. It should have sufficient decoration to be welcoming, nothing more.

Equipment can also play a part in space management. Usually the amount of people to a row of desks is determined by how many PC terminals you can fit on it comfortably.

Large equipment like printers can cause a problem though. They take up a significant amount of space. They also are essential to the business running smoothly.

You can’t disrupt operations by having one printer in a corner for the whole floor. Likewise, you can’t stick one at the end of every desk.

Manage the space the best you can. It’s not just an issue of comfort, it’s about productivity.

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Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.