Among the privileges of being a higher-up, few are as iconic as the personal office (moreso a corner one with a view). However, as nice at is to decorate it with some trophies and personal effects, having your own office comes with its own cleaning responsibilities.
Sure, you might be working in a company that already has a decent cleaning staff. However, this same staff could be working in a dozen other offices and only have a general regimen for each one.
Some might just stick to cleaning the rugs, floors while sofas and steering far away from anything resembling a cabinet. Others might be instructed to clean desks, lamps and other eye-catching decor to keep them spotless but even the best don’t always have the time to polish every little thing inside.
The worst-case scenario is an unspoken policy that keeps them away from your office almost indefinitely, causing all sorts of neglected dirt and dust to accumulate in the corners.
Overall, the most stress-free solution is to have a handful of personal cleaning habits yourself. It might be another addition to an already long list of responsibilities, but it can go a long way in saving you some stress over your personal stuff.
1. Have a set number of valuables.
A good place to start is to be very minimalist when it comes to bringing in personal effects and values to decorate. Having an office is already a badge of honour in of itself, there is no need to over decorate!
Consider allowing yourself only four to five personal items in the room. It helps to also make sure that these are things you see yourself frequently using during those little breaks, like a mug for your coffee or some books to help you think.
2. Create your own little cleaning regimen.
Make a habit to regularly dust off the things on your desk. All you need is a little cloth, maybe a bit of water and just spend a few minutes wiping them clean. This way, you won’t have to worry about the cleaning staff neglecting your desk for fear of displacing anything on it.
You might also want to consider extending this to any computer equipment you have. Get a keyboard and simply do a good sweep at least once a week.
Lastly, maximize whatever storage spaces your office and desk might have. If you don’t want any confidential documentation lying around, then store them away under lock and key.
3. Develop a sense of design.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a little sense of style. When you have fewer items lying about, you can play around with your office’s looks by spacing out your decorations. Try to arrange your office in a way that gives a nice impression as soon as someone walks through the door.
For example, what’s the first thing you want people to see and know about you when you come in? Put it in that spot and make a particular note to always keep it clean. Where are most people going to sit when discussing matters with you? It might be helpful to have the cleaning staff keep that seat fresh for them as well.
There is no need to stress over this too much but just pay a bit of attention of how things look from the front door.
4. Move things out of the way.
If you have staff that’s pretty rigorous, give them a hand by arranging your office decor in a way that doesn’t create impediments.
Put chairs in their proper place before punching out. Avoid putting anything in the middle of the room. Keep cabinets and shelves as close to the wall as possible. Fragile objects should either be secured in storage or at least kept further from the edge of table.
That way, the staff can go about their duties and you have less reason to worry about them knocking things over or forced to displace your things.
Never forget that privilege also comes with responsibilities and these are not just the responsibilities of your higher position. Have your own set of personal cleaning habits to you keep your beautiful corner office all spick and span!
