Out of Control?



Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Out of Control? article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

There are papers on the floor, across the desk and resting on the keyboard. Piles of files are all around. Magazines, newspapers…you name it. Just about anything can be found in this office. You've seen it in your own organization. You know what I am talking about.

Several years ago an employee called me because her performance review included items relating to the disorganized state of her office. When I arrived, her office was piled high with papers. I began asking questions. Are you late with assignments? Does it take you more than 15 seconds to find information? Do you tend to completely lose information? With each question the answer was 'No'.

Probing a little further, I discovered that her supervisor needed to walk past her office every time she wanted to get to the front of the building. So he passed by her cubicle several times a day. Each and every time he walked by, he mentally noted the condition of her office. It seemed her true work performance was not in question… the concern was about her organizing skills. Why? For many people, a messy desk is a messy mind. And the concern with a messy mind is that work isn’t getting done.

Whether we like it or not, appearances do matter. An employee with a messy desk and office is often perceived as out of control, non-caring, ineffective and inefficient. It can cause the person to be passed over for a promotion. As a manager, you are also a role model. Direct reports are watching. And forming their own impressions.

On a wider scale, I remember a client company that hired me to coach some of their employees on time management. The company had a 'Clean Desk' policy, which meant that before employees left for the day, desktops were to be free of loose papers. I was assured the policy was enforced. In fact, employees had been seen dumpster-diving to find loose papers they left on their desk the night before which had been thrown out by the cleaning crew.

Although I don't necessarily advocate this particular type of policy or enforcement, it seems that a more organized and effective way to face each new day would be to end the previous day by taking a few moments to place loose papers in a container. Storing papers on the floor is never a good idea, so try keeping them 'above sea level'. A letter tray, a box, a basket… anything to containerize the papers and create a clear space on your desktop. Loose file folders can be put in their own container or in the front of a filing cabinet drawer.

Get in the habit of taking a few minutes every day to keep the desktop organized. It will help prevent the judgment and negative impression people walk away with when they see a messy desk. And you might just like it, too!

Copyright 2005 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.


Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81


More Articles:


1. How Managers Can Help Retain Their Best Employees By Susan Cullen
A major problem for employers today is attracting the best talent, and then retaining key employees. Research shows that the key ingredient for retention lies within the manager’s ability to understand what employees really want.The survey results below first came out in 1946 in Foreman Fact, from the Labor Relations Institute of NY and was produced again by Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel magazine in 1949. This study has since been replicated with similar results by Ken Kovach (1980); Valerie…

2. Managing a Language School By Jesus Davila
As an owner of a Spanish Language School, I have been able to apply various lessons and tips I had already learned in my College Courses. Believe it or not, most of the things I learned while acquiring my economics BA are things I have never used, but the things I used have been worth it.To start a business school, the first step is researching: most people start business without any research, the eventual result is bankruptcy. Researching involves checking who your competition is, checking if…

3. How To Influence The Perceived Assertiveness Behaviour By M'Hamed Cherif
The literature on assertiveness distinguishes many models, with varying validity and practical usefulness. In developing the ‘Assertiveness Coffee Cards’ we have been led to look at the issue from a different angle, namely that of how the brain functions. As a result, we propose the following classification of assertive behaviour:1. Reptilian Emotional Assertiveness; 2. The Learned Assertiveness Behaviour; 3. The Frontal Lobes Driven Assertiveness; and 4. The Perceived Assertive Behaviour.The …

4. Importance of Just-In-Time Inventory System By Ali Abbas
In today’s competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid demands and quickly changing business environment is putting lot of pressures on manufacturers for quicker response and shorter cycle times. Now the manufacturers put pressures on their suppliers. One way to ensure quick turnaround is by holding inventory, but inventory costs can easily become prohibitive. A wiser approach is to make your production agile, able to adapt to changing customer demands. This can only be done…