For those who haven’t yet graduated to the corner office, you can still find the silver lining of cube-dwelling by making your cubicle work for you. While some are of the camp that a messy desk means you’re hard-working and busy, recent data show that 83% of managers and workers find that tidiness affects their perception of professionalism.
How can you use this to your advantage? Treat your cubicle like a personal assistant to help you build your reputation even while you’re out of the office.
Keep it clean
Not only does this mean that your cube needs to be free of clutter and chotchkies (goodbye, towering plants and lucky charms) but also neutral-smelling. Read: Neutral does not mean floral. It’s a no-brainer that you want to avoid food smells, but you also want to avoid overwhelming perfume or scented soap, lotion, or candles. Don’t be the one people avoid because of your strong scents!
Decorate wisely
Hopefully you know to avoid posting a photo of your most recent keg stand, but too many photos of family, friends, and vacation might not give the best impression, either. Pick one or two carefully chosen photos in which you look friendly, responsible, and professional, and leave the rest in your home office.
As for office supplies, leave the flower-ended pencils and cube wallpaper in your home office, too. In today’s virtual climate, your cube should be equally comfortable to you as to a virtual employee who crashes it on your work from home day.
Attract a crowd
Interacting with coworkers can be hard. So, take a few steps to make it easier by being stocked on basic office necessities such as extra staples, mild painkillers (think Tylenol, Advil), bandaids, etc. Even better? Throw in a few snacks and treats to send out an even more welcoming vibe. When the office gets wind that you’re the go-to-gal (or guy) for just about everything, you’ll find that your workspace will always have a friendly vibe.
Leave work behind
Finally, while your cube should always be tidy and clean, make sure you leave some kind of unclassified working documents in a neat pile somewhere. Not only will this give you a great reminder of where to begin the next time you are in the office, but it also subtly reinforces to passersby that your cube is a place of business.That way, the words that come to the mind of anyone passing by your cube are “neat,” “clean,” and “work.” And who doesn’t want that reputation?
Do you think a person’s cubicle speaks for them? How do you leave your workspace?
This is something that I try to instill in the co-op students I interact with, take 15 minutes a week to clean up your office! In that time, you can do things like disinfect your phone and keyboard (assuming your janitorial service doesn’t do that). The biggest part is the professionalism though, for sure. I have been working a TON of OT lately and my office space is definitely suffering for it. I’m hoping to be able to get to it today!
A great lesson to pass on. I find I also feel more closure at the end of the day if my workspace is clean.
I find I’m MUCH more productive when my workspace is clear and organized. If I have to pull out documents for something I’m working on and don’t manage to get them put away before I work on something else, I just get distracted and pretty much useless for the rest of the day.
Isn’t it funny how clutter can distract? I’ve found it happens for me on my computer desktop — once a week I organize all my files and “put things away,” haha.
I think some cubicles are messy because they aren’t the right size for the workload of the employee. I always try to keep mine somewhat clean, but I have never been a huge fan of decorating cubicles.
Great point, Lance! Maybe taking time lapse photos of a huge mess on one’s desk would be good evidence for a promotion to an office, haha.
I get that making coffee at home just isn’t the same as visiting a coffee shop like Starbucks, but I wonder if anyone knows the difference in cost between a retail Starbucks and one brewed at home with Starbucks coffee beans?
Of course, it depends on the size of coffee you buy and how you prepare it, but it is definitely pennies on the dollar. A bag of Starbucks coffee beans could cost between $8 and $15, depending on where you buy it, and it has 20+ servings in it. A small coffee, on the other hand, would cost $1.50. Ouch!
Smart ideas! Especially keeping everything clean – people (and bosses!) WILL notice that – and leaving a bit of work neatly in sight. Both these things give good impressions to coworkers and supervisors, and people remember those little things and good impressions when review-and-raise time comes around!
People definitely remember the little things — it sets the tone for your whole experience with your coworkers!
I used to have a messy cube, then I had a boss who made it a point to clean up her cube every day before she left work. It inspired me, so I started doing it, and have been doing it now for years. Since I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s automatic, and I found that it helps me start my days right since I come into a clean cube. Much less overwhelming.
Isn’t it awesome how quickly a good example can sink in? I bet there are those who have followed in YOUR footsteps now!
Wonderful ideas. And they’re useful even to those of us who are working from home. A clean, well stocked desk is always giving you a better vibe in the morning than clutter and mess.
Too true! Thanks for your comment!
I share an office with another colleague. We try to keep it pretty neat and tidy. I have colleagues who are literally buried under piles of disorganized papers, books, and weird figurines. If I were a client I would wonder if they knew what they were doing.
It definitely speaks to your ability to prioritize if your desk is a huge mess!
Eeek! When I used to work in an office, my desk was exactly how it shouldn’t be according to your tips! I was the one with the flower ended pencils, purple desk accessories, far too many photos (even on my computer monitor) and overgrowing plants! Lol!
There are exceptions to every rule! 🙂
I used to work with someone whose desk was a complete mess but she’d know exactly where to find what she was looking for. Touch anything and she’d also sure to know but how, I have no idea. If she’s still the same to this day, I wish to share this post to her so that she’ll know that other than knowing where to find things amidst a mess, keeping a neat desk is showing professionalism.
Hopefully she’ll see it as an excuse to redecorate and clean up a bit!
Interacting with co-workers can be the hardest part when cubicles split up your working space. But I really loved your ideas on how to interact with them more. I have a lot more conversations with my co-works since I started keeping a supply of Tylenol in my drawer.
Glad to hear it Kevin!
I followed most of these tips the 6 years I had my cubicle. I always kept a clean, uncluttered space and was the go-to for all meds, treats, and even fleece throws when someone was freezing to death. I guess my only flaw was that I had family/pet/vacation pictures and my work awards plastered all over my cubicles walls with Velcro.
But I bet they were cute family & pets! 🙂