The Productive Environment Advantage:
18 Tips for an Effective Office Clean-out Day

Ask any group of employees, “How many of you know there are things in your office you really don’t need?” Most people will raise their hand. But who goes to work and says, “I don’t have anything else to do today – I guess I’ll clean out my files! If they did do that, co-workers would look at them in disbelief. After all, there is a major project due next week!

Research shows that 80% of what we keep we never use. Elizabeth Hagen’s Principle: If you do not know you have it, or you cannot find it, it is of no value. Keeping information, supplies, equipment, and other resources which do not contribute to the company, cost time, space, and energy – and not being able to find the information you do have can cost thousands or even millions of dollars in case of an audit or a lawsuit.

Many companies have held “clean-up days” – with little success. Hagen has changed this by turning the process into an event. Today it is called “Productive Environment Day.” A “productive environment” is a setting in which everything around you supports who you are and who you want to be, so you can accomplish your work and enjoy your life.

Here are some tips to make sure your Productive Environment Day is a success:

1. Assign one person to coordinate a day. Choose someone who has good rapport with the staff and is proficient at organizing events.
   
   
2. Select the day carefully. Choose a time when office demands are at their lowest. If your company is large, do it department by department.
   
   
3. Create an announcement to be posted well in advance. Make certain that everyone understands they are expected to participate. Designate specific hours for beginning and ending the day.
   
   
4. Collect all available information within the company and from your financial and legal advisors about retention guidelines. Make sure they are in a user-friendly format.
   
   
5. Make arrangements for answering phones so participants have minimum interruptions. Hire a temporary employee or use voice mail. Instruct employees to limit all but essential calls.
   
   
6. Arrange for recycling. Order additional trash containers, trash bags, marking pens and labels.
   
   
7. Create “What To Do If…” flyers. This handout should describe the procedures for the day, where to get supplies, and who to contact if there is a problem.
   
   
8. Create a “Problem/Question Form” to hand out to staff at the beginning of the day, which can be picked up during the day for solving issues that arise.
   
   
9. Notify the building maintenance crew that there will be extra trash that day. Engage their cooperation to move heavy boxes. A monetary reward may be appropriate.
   
   
10. Assign someone to take photographs before, during and after the event.
    
    
11. Purchase prizes for staff: “most valuable find”, “most unusual find,” “most trash” etc. (Some companies provide special T-shirts for the occasion.)
    
    
12. Establish a “white elephant room” for items staff find that are not “useful, beautiful, or loved.” At the end of the day, give the remaining items to a non-profit agency if it seems appropriate.
    
    
13. Arrange for food at the beginning of the day and provide lunch for everyone. This creates an opportunity for discussing progress.
    
    
14. If you have not previously had a training session on ”The Art of Wastebasketry®,” invite an expert to give a 30-minute presentation with tips for maximizing the day.
    
    
15. Make arrangements to gather everyone together 30 minutes before the official end of the day. Hand out evaluation forms to gather information such as:
        a. What questions do you have as a result of today’s activities?
        b. How much more time do you need to finish the job?
        c. What can we do to improve our new Productive Environment Day?
    
    
16. Coordinator should discuss the evaluation forms submitted by the participants with management, and determine what steps to take next, and when.
    
    
17. Communicate the positive outcome of the event to all participants – e.g., how much trash, how many empty file cabinets, how many office supplies found, etc.
    
    
18. Consider making this an annual or semi-annual event. One company does it on St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.

In his bestselling book Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the seemingly little things which in reality make a big difference. Unnecessary clutter in offices costs money, reduces morale, and reflects badly on the organization. Keep nothing in your office which you do not know to be useful, think to be beautiful, or love – and you will have a “productive environment advantage” so you can accomplish your work and enjoy your life.

This article may be reproduced with the permission of the author, author credits, and the inclusion of this paragraph:

©Elizabeth Hagen, Professional Organizer/Speaker, wants to make your life easier! You can be more focused, organized, and productive. Elizabeth can be reached at 605-357-8767 or at www.ElizabethHagen.com.

Elizabeth Hagen
Professional Organizer/Speaker
605.357.8767

Your life just got easier!

Elizabeth Hagen is a professional organizer/speaker who loves to help others get organized and will help you Establish Excellence in your Environment.

Contact her at elizabeth@elizabethhagen.com or visit her website at http://www.elizabethhagen.com and learn how you can find anything in 5 seconds or less...guaranteed!