What if my boss grades my performance on how tidy my workspace is?
I am a messy worker, who is extremely goal-oriented, should I constantly be discouraged by the lack of respect for my space when my superiors question my ability based on it?
Great question Michael. Employees who work in cluttered environments can be perceived by their coworkers as disorganized. But employees who produce these environments often have a method to their madness, and can find what they need in the clutter fast. When their environments are decluttered, their performance can actually decrease. Successful ‘messy workers’ find the right balance between maintaining positive workplace perceptions and creating workspaces that help them get the job done in the way that works best for them.
My boss is of the mindset that everything has to be not just tidy, but aesthetically pleasing. So if I have old furniture, it may be a problem. I am torn between the stress of getting everything done and the stress of keeping everything immaculate.
My supervisor doesn't micromanage us on how tidy our desks are. However, we usually get an admonition before a new quarter begins to "straighten up our desks and organize our materials." I usually straighten my desk at the end of my day just as a matter or efficiency so that tomorrow morning I can start off with a clean....or "cleaner" slate.
I'm the same way. I don't find it vitally important to have a perfectly clean desk, but I find starting my day is much easier if I spent a few minutes the day before at least getting things slightly tidy so I know where to start the next day.
I'll tend to clean up more now than I used to.
I find virtual mess a problem now, even though no one else sees it, I feel much better if I clean out old files and organize my computer every once in a while too.
That's a great point Jon. Organization should be about making your life easier, not just about what looks better to others. And digital messes can be just as stressful as real world ones.
I found it interesting that when I was working in France, everyone would clean off their desks entirely at the end of each day - there were never piles of paper around. In France, a clean desk means that you are getting your work done. In the U.S. it seems that a desk full of papers means "I'm busy" - I worked in a creative environment in the advertising world and our desks were never clean.
What an interesting observation Michael! Cultural differences are important to consider.
Michael and all-
You bring up an interesting point.
Outside of teaching I am a life skills trainer and one of the skills/courses I teach is organization for office, home, garage, closet etc. etc.
If your goal is getting the work done and you do then who cares what the rest of it looks like. Do you think that too many people focus on the minors over the majors?
The best way to delete your workspace is to work from a laptop at Starbucks! haha.
Because I teach culinary- keeping things neat and tidy (clean and sanitary) is super important to keep our work station clean. The students imitate us to a tee sometimes.
And because sanitation in a kitchen is vitally important- it is important for us to demonstrate clean.
