Clear Desk Policy

Clear Desk Policies are nothing new, in fact they have been around for many years and there are varying different opinions about them.

Some people really see the value of having one and believe they benefit teamwork, whilst others believe that they put too much pressure on teams to comply.

So, before we consider the benefits, lets clarify what a CDP – ‘clear desk policy’ is.

According to Cleverisim.com the policy requirements generally call for ‘the employee to clear the desk and surrounding area at the end of the day from clutter and papers’.

Clearly there are some real benefits to being able to do this that Pro-Development can think of like: It keeps the office looking smart and tidy and if clears secure data from a place where it might be easily accessed. But are there any team benefits from everyone committing to this?

We think there might be and here are some thoughts from us.

1) Productivity Improvement

Productivity can improve when we keep to a clear desk policy. Simply put we can find things more easily (assuming we have a good system for filing things away both digitally and paper based). It also encourages us to improve our digital storage and rely more on this rather than paper.

2) Time Saving

When we can find stuff easily it improves our time management. We have lost count of the times we have had to recreate documents if we have misplaced them. Definitely a time waster for a busy workforce.

3) Reduces Stress in the Workplace

We can often feel stressed when our environment feels messy, having a clear desk and a tidy workspace can really contribute to a sense of wellbeing. This a bit like having a house that feels energetically well set out a bit like Feng Shui. However this only applies if we know where we are putting things in the first place.

So a clear desk can definitely have some benefits to creating a productive and happy team. What are your thoughts? Do you have a clear desk policy? Let us know what your experiences are.