The introduction of home-working (a form of agile working) caught many organisations on the hop, forcing them to implement an agile-working policy at breakneck speed. There wasn't time for innovation.
But as the road map to cautiously ease Lockdown 3.0 is followed, organisations have time to be innovative when introducing a clean desk policy for permanent agile working.
I've written this blog to help facilities managers and office managers rethink how workers use their desks in a clean, organised and flexible working setup.
People are wary of returning
Agile working is popular with employees and many employers. But half of workers are afraid to go back to the office, according to the Owl Labs' UK State of Remote Work survey.
With agile working, employees will be in the office on different days and times, so they to feel confident that the workspace is always clean.
A clean desk policy ensures desks are left uncluttered. Then cleaners can sanitise them, protect the next person and help reduce Covid-19's spread.
Prepare to tackle the downsides
A poorly planned agile-working setup and clean desk policy can cause problems:
Desk hogging
People tend to 'beach-towel' their desk in agile workspace - eroding the point of it. They can't separate their stuff from work items and remain organised, so they take everything with them and anchor themselves to one spot - leaving desks a mess.
Impersonal space
Agile workers miss personalising their desks with sticky notes and pictures. Having worked from home for months, returning staff will be even more aware of impersonal surroundings.
Lack of creativity
A clean desk policy can make environments bland and impact creativity.
Personalise space, stop desk-hogging and inspire creativity
You can tackle these problems by enabling employees to:
• Put their life in their locker and take their work to a desk• Set up anywhere they like• Personalise their workspace• Pack everything up easily, leave it in a locker or take it home.
How? By giving them a Hotbox personal storage solution. A Hotbox helps employees separate life from work, stay organised, and move fast, leaving a clean desk behind.
Gifting a Hotbox makes everyone happy
With a Hotbox 1 or Hotbox 2 , employees can leave what they don't need in a locker, and use a Hotbox to stay organised and move work from a meeting to a desk or anywhere. They can also personalise it with a photo frame and a choice of colour.
Gifting them a Shuttle backpack encourages clutter-free space above and below the desk. Its dual-storage system means workers can divide work tools from personal items, leaving their life in a locker and taking their work to a desk.
Cleaners can reset the office, while you're free from the headaches caused by passwords left on desks and trip hazards under them.
A Hotbox helps organisations improve workplace productivity, adopt a clean desk policy, and adapt to change as part of an agile working strategy.
Please get in touch to find out more.