Running an office is never an easy job. There are too many things to be aware of at all times to know how the whole place is running. For people involved in the management, it is a 24×7 job to be aware and alert about the functioning of the place. An office is not a one-man ship. It involves a number of people working together, meeting deadlines, and meeting a new goal every day.
There are several items, services, payroll services that are provided by Aurion – are all an integral part of the working of an office. However, to ensure the smooth working of the office management, there have to be a few other things that should be ensured.
So, here are a few essentials of an office that could make the complicated process a little easier.
The quick Checklist
- Proper furniture and set-up: For setting up any workspace, the first thing to take care of is the furniture. Organizing workspace is a simple task yet very impactful. Setting up required types of furniture. The office can be fully furnished or just as simple with a table and a chair. The placement of furniture should avoid congestion in the office room. Along with it, all the types of required equipment like printers, xerox machines, computers, network routers, surge protectors, backup drives, UPSs, external hard discs, and others should be easily accessible.
Select the right technology keeping in mind that it is scalable to accommodate changes and improvements later on as the office needs change; otherwise, spending on improved gadgets every few years will become a constant loss.
- Good communication system: A well-managed office is based upon the foundation of good communication. Good communication between the employees and the manager goes hand in hand with their success. Each member has different skills to bring to the table. With proper communication, this aspect can bring about more productivity and efficiency to the office. It helps to avoid mistakes, resolve conflicts, and give clear directions. Choosing the correct words, tone, and body language is the key to a healthy communication system in both verbal and written mediums. Clarity, sensitivity, and freedom of speech of every employee can help in the betterment of the entire office scenario.
- Have a plan for every day: A messy office and unclear plan is the harvester of failure. Organizing each day, having a plan for the day, and staying motivated are essentials on the checklist. The system should be chalked out thoroughly. Pre-planning the day, going the extra mile will encourage the employees and successfully manage them. This will help them to stay on task, avoid procrastinating, & complete a task on time. Planning with timestamps will minimize the distraction and maximize productivity.
But too much organization and pressurizing the workers can have a negative impact. The thin line between correct planning and overdoing it should be maintained.
- Storage & Stationery: Filling, shelving, and being methodical helps organize the works better. All the relevant and important pieces of documents should be accessible and retrievable. Hence accommodating a storage unit in office space is mandatory. A well-organized cabinet will keep safe all the hard copies of required documents.
Along with it, basic supplies should be available to everyone. Pens, tape, highlighters, stapler, folders, drawing pins, paper clips, scissors, a trash can, notebooks, notepads, sticky notes, paper for your printer, whiteboards, markers, etc stationeries have to be stocked regularly in the office.
- Priorities and feedback are important: An office is a team space. It will be a place where everyone will be working together. Maintaining a comfortable climate helps to keep up employee satisfaction. Everyone should be heard and understood. Newly imposed business tactics or shifting to a different project suddenly without explanation; can destabilize the employees’ understanding of the company. Hence communicating with them, going through their feedback on the steps taken are extremely important.
When you start out managing an office – especially a new one – it can be overwhelming. The task-lists and to-do items never seem to end, not to mention the long hours. But it takes patience, some organizing hacks, and a good team spirit to run an office smoothly and successfully.
