Employee's Desk Can Reflect Level Of Organization
By Mabel Zhang, Staff Writer© Pasadena Star-News, June 19, 2005
Some say a messy desk indicates a hardworking employee.
But a recent study shows a clean work area is often the result of an employee's good organization skills - a trait most employers appreciate.
More than half of the 2,611 employers surveyed by Pendaflex, a manufacturer of organizational solutions, said they would take their staff's level of organization into consideration during their annual performance review.
Many managers who were interviewed said they would view a messy desk as a sign of bad organizational skills, Pendaflex officials said.
"Good organization skill is not just how you deal with your boss," Pendaflex representative Chris Curran said. "It is also whether you can find documents needed on time."
Another study by the American Demographic Society shows that U.S. office workers collectively waste 9 million hours a day searching for lost or misplaced files.
Pendaflex researchers also found that 40 percent of surveyed office workers said they frequently lose documents, which can take time and extra money to retrieve or replace them.
A well-organized workplace can give managers the impression that an employee has a high level of work efficiency.
"Organize your workplace and reap the benefits before you know it," said Sharon Mann, an organizational expert and president of the New York State- based I Hate Filing Club. "You may get that promotion and raise you've been waiting for."
Some employment consultants, however, don't think the ability to organize one's desk is important for high-level executive managers.
"It depends on their levels," said Gary Kaplan, president of Gary Kaplan & Associates, an executive search firm based in Pasadena. "It is a more critical standard to hire support and administrative staff."
The American Demographic Society study shows that, on average, one secretary serves four managers in the United States. That means "managers should also have good organization skills to take care of their own stuff," Curran said.
Pendaflex organizational experts offer these tips to help office workers clean up their desks.
Discard used documents instead of piling them up.
File documents in a way convenient for searching
Code folders with color labels, which can save a worker time when looking for documents
Mabel Zhang can be reached (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2703, or by e-mail at windtoeast@yahoo.com .
