Nothing defines work style quite like the age-old standoff between pilers and filers within the workplace-but it turns out the there's a new storage solution that just may call a truce. Studies show that, while piling provides necessary visual cues and helps workers discard papers when they are finished with them, having more than your daily work on your desk can lead to overwhelming clutter. So it turns out that office furniture that accommodates both a little piling and a little filing is actually best!

Now that we've got that settled, how will this impact your purchase of new cubicle systems? The main implication is that cubicle systems require both sufficient storage as well as ample work surfaces in order to meet workers' needs. Employees need useful office furniture that allows them tot pile work on their desk and also put non-essential work out of sight in folders or files. A flexible work configuration lends itself to employees' personal filing and piling preferences. A typical cubicle systems configuration can be developed for each department creating the ideal balance between filing and piling. Wide uninterrupted worksurfaces provide ample space for workers to customize their own desk layout. The ability to place files, piles, computer, mouse, and phone in the areas that work best for them equips workers for success. Desk-height electric outlets and communication ports also allow workers to customize their environment.

Filing Habits: A Few Quick Tips

Schedule regular "paper purging." According to time-management expert Jeffrey Mayer, 60-80% of the material employees retain is wastebasket-worthy. Encourage employees to stop hoarding unnecessary papers by scheduling regular purgings where everyone takes a few minutes to go through all their piles and files in their cubicles and dispose of documents that are no longer necessary. By making it a community activity, people won't feel singled out and the office will be full of nice, clean cubicle systems at the end of the day.

Maximize shared storage. If employees know that relevant company resources are well-organized and accessible in one common file location, they will not feel the need to clutter their own workstation by printing out and storing individual copies for fear of not being able to access them when needed. Make sure the shared storage area is updated frequently with relevant documents and that everyone is aware of how to obtain them. This will lead to less clutter in individual cubicles and therefore, better personal work habits.

Visual cues. People remember what they see, so encouraging visual storage like tackboards, and whiteboards that can be built right into your office cubicle, or colorful file labels and highlighting will help reinforce organization and bring colorful order to chaos.

Don't micromanage. You may be the one to select the office systems furniture, but then it's time to let employees control their own atmospheres. Storage often comes down to personal preference, so unless there is a problem, it's better to let employees organize their own way. You can encourage and support good storage within your cubicles, but don't enforce a certain style or you might stifle work morale and productivity. Employees enjoy the ability to have flexible storage that they configure and reconfigure at will, and the adaptability of cubicle systems makes this easily possible.

Typical Office Layouts

Office Design