After your company website, your office or retail premises is going to be the first impression that your prospects get of your business. With this in mind, can you be sure that your office is doing all it can for you? Sure, it may be providing your employees with all they need to do their work. However, an office should be a place which reflects your company culture and ethos, as well as an office. If your premises is looking a bit lackluster, here are three steps for making it appear more professional. (Image By MOs810)
Designate Areas
Put yourself in one of your prospective client’s shoes for a moment. If you were invited into a company’s office, and saw that it had no real structure to it, you wouldn’t be all that impressed, would you? Having everyone working in a single room may have been alright when you were a fledgling start-up just setting out in the world of business. However, if you want to swim with the big fish, you’re going to have to step things up a bit. A waiting area is important, as you’ll have somewhere to greet clients and partners away from the bustle and chaos of the actual office floor. You should also try and keep designated kitchens and bathroom areas as far away from the main office as possible.
Crack Down on Protocol
If your employees are chatting to one another over cubicle walls, leaving their desks covered with random junk, and playing around on their phones, it’s not exactly going to scream professionalism. I understand the want to be a relaxed, popular boss. However, if you’re not cracking down on employee protocol a workspace that’s too relaxed will really hurt your professional image. If you don’t have a desk policy already, draft one and make sure that everyone on the office floor gets the message. There may be some grumbling and complaints. However, you’ll end up with a more professional-looking workspace, and most likely a more productive workforce.
Tidy Up
If there’s one thing that the offices of all successful businesses have in common, it’s that they’re meticulously clean and tidy. Okay, there’s that one company in Japan that lets cats roam around their office at will. Generally though, a clean-looking office is a professional-looking office. Dust should be considered public enemy number one when you’re having the office cleaned. Thick, gray coats of dust covering your desks and computers isn’t going to jam well with your prospective clients, and aside from that it poses a pretty big health risk to you and your employees. If there’s trash piling up outside of your office three days of the week, consider organizing a more reliable trash pick up service. If you have a janitor but there’s always places that seem to be half-cleaned, consider hiring another or outsourcing to a commercial cleaning service. As part of your new desk policy, try to motivate your employees to keep their workstations free of dust and clutter.
Once you’ve taken these three steps, you’ll be amazed at how professional your office looks and feels!
