Top five small-business spring cleaning tips

Freshening your office environment for more productive work

Eugene Chi //April 6, 2015//

Top five small-business spring cleaning tips

Freshening your office environment for more productive work

Eugene Chi //April 6, 2015//

Spring time in Colorado means many things, high country snowmelt – a joy for raft and kayak enthusiasts, ice-free roads – for the cycling enthusiasts, and of course the always anticipated (or dreaded) spring cleaning.

If you’re a small business owner, it’s likely you’ve accumulated as much clutter as Denver did snow this winter. Now is a great time to be motivated by the sunshine and embrace spring cleaning for your physical and virtual offices. A clean and organized workspace will make for a happier and more rewarding work experience. Below are five tips to freshen up your office environment, increase employee satisfaction and become an overall more productive business.   

De-clutter your work space. According to research done at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, scientists found that physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus and process information. Take the time to go through old files or paperwork and get rid of things that are no longer in use. Additionally, while cleaning out your desk, take a quick look through old note books and re-visit any good ideas that you may have filed away under “future reference”.

Update your social profiles. Take the time to double check all brand logos, messaging and hyperlinks to ensure they are up-to-date and consistent across all your social media profiles. Social media is a great way to establish brand identity, increase collaboration between business partners and gain valuable feedback from customers. Social profiles also increase visibility for new talent and potential clients. Don’t forget to update your headshot and email signature block, too.

Consider a new seating arrangement. According to the WSJ, an employee's immediate neighbor accounts for 40 percent to 60 percent of every interaction that a worker has during the workday, prompting the question, “Who’s the new guy in row three?” Switching up seats in the office is a proven way to build new work relationships, with the added benefit of a fresh start and new energy in the workspace.

Consider Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and enhance the power of mobile. Consider allowing employees to work on the mobile device of their choice. Mobile use increases productivity and flexibility, from reading and sharing the latest news with employees during your morning light rail commute to sending out a few emails while waiting for a client offsite.

Let IT handle IT. We’ve all had times when we wish we could just focus on our work, but are bogged down due to a slow computer or network. Consider offloading IT tasks to a service provider instead of doing it in-house to free up time to focus on your products and customers, the things that really matter to your business. Rather than viewing IT as a capital expense, make IT an operating cost. Strategic business decisions in today’s dynamic market, such as upgrading to cloud based solutions, can help your SMB gain efficiency and predictability, two traits essential for the success of your business.

To learn more about empowering your business through modern IT solutions, visit the Office 365 Homepage, or for additional tips aimed at SMB success, visit the Microsoft SMB Blog.