Whether you’re working remotely or in an office, an organized workspace is essential to your productivity. A clean and clear workspace eliminates unwanted distractions and can therefore help employees better concentrate on the task at hand. To keep your workspace organized, every space or department needs a good office supply closet – somewhere to house everything you need in an effective and organized manner. The perfect office supply closet is one that is free from clutter, labeled, categorized, and easy to navigate. Today, we look at our top 5 tips for organizing your office supply closet, so grab your labels and continue reading to find out more!
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Purchasing The Right Supplies
Before we even get into organizing, the most important factor when it comes to a well-thought-out office supply closet is ensuring that you have all the appropriate supplies that you need. This means going through everything and disposing of anything that is outdated or no longer being used. Once you have cleared out much-needed space, it’s time to ensure that you’re purchasing the right supplies for the job. This will differ depending on the company or business, but generally speaking, you will want to have an adequate stock of much-used items such as printing paper, HP ink cartridges, stationery, storage boxes, labels, and anything else you need to run an efficient day at the office.
You could also take this one step further by asking your employees what they would like to see in the supply closet or what they think the office needs more of. Remember, when it comes to supplies, you’ll save yourself and everyone who relies on you a lot of headaches if you choose right the first time!
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Time To Organise
And now, let’s get into the real stuff! Organizing an office supply closet may not be the easiest or fastest of tasks, but it is sure to be one of the most rewarding things you can do for your business. Generally speaking, we always recommend keeping regularly used items at the front and center, as this will make said items easily accessible to anyone who may need them throughout the day. You should also group or categorize items logically — for example, all items related to printing should be in one area while desktop items should be kept in another. You can also create labels to separate categories to ensure that no one gets anything mixed up.
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Invest In Storage Bins
The last thing you want is for your office supply closet to look like a scattered mess and the best way to avoid this is by investing in storage bins. Storage bins are easy to label and stack, making them the perfect option when you’re looking to hide unsightly items such as old documents, paperwork, and miscellaneous items. You don’t have to limit yourself to just storage bins either — there is a myriad of office storage solutions available at most office supply stores and you’re sure to find one that suits your business the best!
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Keep It Colour Coded
Another fantastic way of keeping on top of things is to implement colour coding in your office supply closet. Using color-coding on your storage bins and boxes will help you determine the type of supply – such as red for paper, blue for cleaning supplies, and yellow for breakroom supplies. You can also make use of colored sticky notes to flag items that may be running out and need reordering or to identify levels of permission for removing any particular item from the supply closet.
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Leave Room For More
One of the biggest mistakes that many make when it comes to organizing an office supply closet is to fill it to the brim, thus leaving little to no space for new items. In many cases, it will make the most sense to leave some additional space in each box or category in case more items need to be added at a later date. Creating space in advance is a great way to ensure that your newly organized office supply closet doesn’t turn into a disheveled mess in no time. Leaving some extra room also creates the illusion of a less cluttered space which can have great benefits on mental health and stress levels.
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Keep Track Of Inventory
Keeping track of inventory as it is used is the best way to both ensure that you don’t run out of anything or end up over-ordering when you already have a sufficient number of items in your supply closet. The easiest way to do this is to create a system where employees check items off on a list as supplies are low. You can also designate a single person to keep track of supplies and reorder when needed.
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Limit Access and Hold Employees Accountable
Last but not least, holding employees accountable and ensuring that everyone is doing their part to maintain the office supply closet is key. The worst thing that could happen is for a newly organized closet to turn into a mess thanks to everyone doing as they please and leaving items in the wrong spot. Be sure to instil a sense of responsibility in employees and to let them know how important it is to the organization’s productivity and success that everything is kept in order at all times.
Another strategy to keep your office supply closet in tip-top shape at all times is to limit access if possible. This may not be a strategy that works for every single business but it certainly is one that will make it much easier to keep items organized and in stock.
Final Words
No matter how big or small your business is, having a well-kept office space and supply closet is sure to contribute to a pleasant and stress-free work environment. We hope that you’ll put some of these tips to use the next time you embark on a supply closet rehaul.
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