If you identify with the above situation, assess the level of cleanliness in your office. Unclean, unkempt offices are a big turn off despite the best material amenities present.

Importance of Office Cleaning 

1. Trash Disposal – Unclean offices jeopardize the health of employees. Trash that is not discarded into the garbage bin and lies scattered around the office, whether in the pantry, on the desk, washroom, or cabins, accumulates a lot of dust and even critters. Many sensitive individuals react strongly to dust; they start sneezing, panting, and producing other allergic reactions.
2. Pantry Hygiene – Hygiene must be strongly maintained in the pantry or canteen. Coffee cups made of paper should be preferred as they can be discarded. Reuse of cups, spoons, and other utensils leads to transmission of disease-causing germs causing illnesses in many employees. Surfaces of coffee machines must be cleaned with an effective sanitizer in order to check microbial growth due to milk spillage.
3. Filtered Water Usage – Water should be thoroughly filtered and purified before storing into water dispensing coolers. Employees who contract infectious diseases due to water and food contamination avail of long sick leaves thus leading to reduced work hours. This could have a huge impact on the business.
4. Toilet Hygiene – Toilets must be cleaned on a daily basis using an alcohol-based sanitizer. Good quality toilet cleaners must be used.  Hiring professional office cleaning services regularly like once a month is a good option for the health of office staff rather than relying on just one housekeeping person. The quality of cleanliness that professional housekeeping staff renders is matchless.
5. Sick Employee Policy – Employees who are seriously ill with a communicable disease must not come to office until they are completely free from the disease. Such individuals can pass off their infection to healthy employees. It is advisable to let them work from home if that is feasible for their role and acceptable to their seniors.
6. Eating Guidelines – Strict guidelines on eating breakfast and lunch must be imposed. Employees must not be allowed to eat or drink in the work area in order to avoid spillage or dropping of fluids and food particles on computers, laptops, carpets, or desks. Employees failing to abide by these laws should be strictly penalized.
7. Indoor Plants – Keep some indoor plants in your office in order to increase oxygen levels which usually dip where too many people are exhaling carbon dioxide. Oxygen-rich air is clean, pure, and energizing.
8. Technology Damage – In unclean offices, where there is water spillage on technological equipment, there are greater chances of electronic malfunction and accidents. Electric shocks to employees, PCs not working, and other glitches slow down the pace of working in an office. The result is reduced productivity.
9. Optimum Level of Work – In order to bring the best out of every employee, it is very important to pay attention to their health. Unhealthy employees are not motivated enough to work. They lack the enthusiasm and energy to work and pay attention to tiny details. In roles that demand a high level of attention to details, an unhealthy atmosphere may breed lack of concentration in the employees leading to high error rate.
10. Noise Cleanliness – This refers to filtering or blocking out loud or irritating noises in the background so that they don’t affect the employees’ work. Compartmentalization of departments is an effective way to minimize noise pollution which deteriorates work quality. Healthy mingling among co-workers is conducive to work quality and productivity. Employees, who gel well or share interesting titbits with each other, increase knowledge and add cheer to the work atmosphere. After all, a healthy employee is a happy employee. And a happy employee is a productive employee.
11. Security – Office cleanliness is important and ensures a healthy working environment when the office is working. However, you also need something to watch over your office when it is kept closed for a period of time owing to certain reasons like transfer of most employees to another branch of the company or temporary shifting of workplace due to renovation. In such cases, you need a trustworthy party to keep a watch on the office that is shut down or inactive for some days or months. Moreover, you need the office in the best condition when you are back. When you hire house watching services, this problem is taken care of. They take care of your office like no other. And when you are back, there is no lag period. You can start your work from day 1 with total productivity.

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Let’s start with the advantages that working from home provides you:

As it has been already mentioned, if you work at home you can usually manage your schedule in a way that fits you the most, so if you are one of those night owls who get struck with inspiration after midnight, you don’t have to wake up at 6 a.m. anymore in order to get the job done. And since your schedule can be quite flexible you won’t have to miss out on important moments in your family life.

Once you start working from home you’ll see that by not eating out with your colleagues you not only can save quite a lot of money, you can also start getting back in shape.

Another quite important and time-saving advantage is that you don’t have to waste time getting to your working place.

As for the disadvantages, one of the most prominent ones is actually quite the same as one of the main advantages – you are the one responsible for your own schedule. And if you don’t have any pattern of managing and tracking your tasks it would be a good idea to start using specialized work management software that would help you keep all your tasks under control and won’t allow you to miss deadlines.

Working at home can be also quite challenging if you are used to working under supervision and you like having someone who will help you out when you need to make an important decision. To maintain communication with your managers it’s important for you to have collaborative workflow software that would make the process of solving complicated issues easier.

For those who are missing colleague banter while on a weekend, working at home is probably not the best options, since it provides fewer opportunities for socializing.

Another thing that can get your work at home rather complicated is a bunch of distractions of all kinds. Social media networks. TV, family duties… When you don’t have direct supervision it can be so easy to get lost in every day routine, so before you decide to work from home, make sure you can organize yourself and your days in a way that your work will still be of high priority.

Hope that this small review of pros and cons of working at home will help you realize whether such approach to job suits you or not.

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However, having a physical location also has its benefits, especially when it comes to meeting clients and appearing more professional to potential customers. While working from home is good when you first start out, there will come a time where you need to have a base in a major city centre hub so you look like a serious company.

It’s now possible to get the best of both worlds with a virtual office. These are spaces which you can list as your company address, yet you don’t need to be physically be there to get the benefits they offer.

A real, professional business address:

Listing your home as your business address on your website probably won’t help it to appear as professional as you may want to be perceived. This is especially so now as many people like to Google Map and street view where you are based. With a virtual office you will be given an address within the centre of a city’s business district, making you look like a professional outfit from the outset.

Get your telephone calls answered by a receptionist:

You may not want to constantly be taking phone calls throughout the day, or you may want to find a way to appear more professional when those all-important business phone calls come in. By using a virtual office your calls will be answered by a trained receptionist in any way you wish – even by using your company name at the start of the phone call. Find a good virtual office and you will get receptionists who make an effort to learn about you and your company so they can even answer general queries if needs be, or they can take messages to pass onto you if you are unavailable to take the call.

A hub for your business mail:

If your business address is listed at a virtual office then it’s likely you will received a fair share of mail to it. By paying a certain weekly/monthly fee this mail can be forwarded to your home or other address where you are actually going to be based for the majority of your time. It’s even possible to have mail opened with total honesty and discretion by the virtual office’s staff before being scanned and emailed through to you – meaning no waiting times to receive the important documents you are waiting for!

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Turning your study into a home office is an excellent way to demarcate a specific part of your home to only be used for work. Unfortunately, if you do not properly organize your home office, it can quickly lead to chaos – and you will soon find that non-work related items creep back in. The good news is that you don’t need real estate advice to set up a remote office, all you need to do is follow the simple tips outlined in this article.

Get Organized

It might seem like a daunting task to transform your relaxed study into a super-efficient office space. Once you get yourself organized, however, even if it takes the whole weekend to get it done – you won’t have to waste cycles rummaging around through piles of paper trying to get to that all important file you needed 15 minutes ago.

When you start running your business from home, or working remotely for your employer, it becomes increasingly crucial to stay on top of where everything is. You will find that your days are less stressful if you get everything in order before you start working from home.

Stay Healthy

When you work remotely you become responsible for your own health and safety. Getting organized will reduce stress but there are other things you can do to help you healthy. Keep the place clean. You will end up spending several hours at a time in your home office. Real estate advice might suggest that you build a little extension to your house, but a well maintained office space will suffice. Dust regularly and remove any office clutter. Asthma and allergies can be aggravated by the germs and insects that thrive in messy environments. Even if your office is in an otherwise untidy household – and you don’t have the budget for an extension – make sure this area is maintained at a high standard.

Now that you are starting to focus on your remote office it is a great time to check that the supplies you do have are in order, and purchase anything that you think you will need in the near future. Have a clear out. Check every pen in your study to see if it still works. Throw out any that no longer work. You may be surprised at how much you have held onto over the years. Giving yourself a fresh start will save you a lot of time in the long run. Pick out a handful of pens that you like using, and store the others somewhere safe. As soon as one of these pens runs out replace it from your stash. You could purchase yourself a tray for all of your stationery. It can be enjoyable getting these sort of things organized, just make sure you don’t get a little too obsessive-compulsive about it

It is likely that you agree you will not need to remodel your home, or get substantial real estate advice, when you want to turn a study into a remote office. Organization is key; but you might also want to get a lock for the door…

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Carve out a working space at home

Working on a laptop placed on the kitchen table or even your bed can be an attractive scenario. However, when you work from home, it is important to separate your home life from your work life by creating boundaries that are both physical and psychological. The best way to create a productive and motivating work area is to dedicate a place of your own, with your own desk and storage areas. Ideally, it will be a separate room in the house that you can convert into a workshop, office or mini-studio. If you do not have rooms to spare then opt for a space that will be specifically assigned to you and your job.

Remove the clutter

Opt for a minimalist approach for your work area, by removing unnecessary objects, stacks of books that you do not use, paper clips lying around, etc. Store files away as much as possible and make sure you have very few cables showing from your computer equipment.

Add a little flora

Add plants to your office as they can greatly improve your working environment. Watering your plants daily is also a positive distraction in your day, and some claim that the oxygen produced by the plants will help you concentrate, although they produce just as much carbon dioxide when they are out of sunlight, so the legitimacy of the claim is suspect.

Ease of use is your top priority

Items and equipment that are easy to use are going to improve your work comfort and allow you to do your job more efficiently. A comfortable chair is good but it needs to be elevated enough for you to get up easily. It must also have enough rigidity to allow you to depart easily from the chair, since the beanbag effect is tiring if you have to keep getting up. The position of your monitor should be far enough away to not impose too harshly on your vision.

Your chair, desk and keyboard should also be positioned for maximum comfort and ease of use. If you are sat uncomfortably then it will eventually take its toll on your work. Give yourself extra space for your legs and take regular short breaks to stretch them a little. An ergonomic office chair is an excellent investment, ensuring your concentration at work in addition to avoiding the possibility of developing back problems.

Add one or two exciting visual element

Visual stimulation such as poster frames or paintings can help you inspire and motivate you. If possible, position your desk so that you face the window in order to rest your eyes and give your brain a break.

Install a whiteboard

Use it during a period of “brainstorming” or to write your lists priorities. It is also good for adding notes for ideas and things to do. If you do not write them down then they will often play on your mind. It also stops you from creating little lists on paper, which often become yet more office clutter.

Author: Korah Morrison – Follow her on Google+.

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Save Money

The most obvious reason for doing your own repair work is to save cash. It stands to reason that paying for the materials is a lot less expensive than paying for the materials plus the time of the person doing it. You might be surprised to find just how big a saving you can make on some jobs.  If you need some more convincing then try working out the cost of the materials for the next job you need done and then compare this to a quote from a tradesman.

Get It Right, Guaranteed

When you hire someone to do some work you need to trust them to get it right. Most times they will but you could be left wondering whether they put their best efforts into it and whether it will stand the test of time. On the other hand, if you carry out the DIY work on your own then you will know exactly what you have done and the quality of materials you used. Of course, if you don’t get it right first time you should feel comfortable with the idea of learning from your mistakes and doing it over again until you get it exactly the want it to be.

Get Job Satisfaction

It is hugely satisfying to be able to look around your home and see all the great work you have done. This is certainly a lot better than simply coming home one day and seeing the finished job which someone else has done for you.

Plan Other Jobs

Once you complete your first piece of DIY work at home you will start to get excited about the thought of doing more jobs about the place. Even if you have never been particularly bothered about the physical aspect of the property you should soon begin to pay attention to it and enjoy coming up with ideas to improve it. This means that over time you should own a more attractive and more valuable home without having spent a huge amount of money on it.

Learn a Skill for Life

The skills you learn on your home will stay with you for the rest of your life. This means that in the future you could buy a dilapidated home to restore, help a friend with their property or even make a living from your DIY skills. You will always know what this sort of ability could come in handy at some point. A smart move is to learn well at the outset by going on the like of a local plastering course. By doing this you will learn how to do the jobs professionally enough to handle anything in the future.

By Petar Dzhingarov

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Overheads

If you are self-employed and are working on your own, working from home is most likely the best option. If you’d like to distinguish your home life from your work life, consider co-working. Co-working allows you to rent a desk in an office so you can experience a work environment but not feel as isolated if you were to work at home. Co-working will also free you of any distractions but is much cheaper than renting out office space.

If you have a team of people and need office space, opt for industrial as opposed to commercial space as the rent is cheaper. If possible, allow staff to work from home as this will save on the amount of space needed. Stagger shift times and allow flexible working patterns so that workers can hot desk, this will reduce the amount of office space needed.

In addition, if you are expanding at a rapid rate and are fortunate enough to have high ceilings, you could consider installing a mezzanine floor. Mezzanine floors are intermediate flooring which adds another level to a building.

Workforce

Consider hiring a college graduate as an intern, as many are looking for a CV opportunity and are willing to work for free. Graduates are brimming with ideas and are keen to utilise them. If you’re business fluctuates throughout the year, employ freelancers at busy periods or temporary staff to work during those periods. Cross train staff so that if someone goes on maternity leave or are sick, you will have competent staff to cover without having to pay for additional staff.

Save Energy

If you’re business needs computers, use laptops instead of desktop PC’s as they use 90% less energy. Energy saving light bulbs are a quick and easy change to make but will have a major impact when it comes to your energy bill.

Pay Bills Early

If you pay your suppliers early you may be offered an early payment discount. In some instances you can save up to 25%.

Advertising

Online Marketing

Traditional marketing can become expensive but when promoting your business, make the most of marketing for free online. Create a business blog and write about industry related topics. Be considered as an authority in your area by providing up to date and relevant information. Get active with social media and create a LinkedIn profile as well as a Facebook business page and twitter account.

Word of Mouth

Think about giving a talk or presentation at a local event such as a coffee morning, fete or exhibition. Give out free samples or do a demonstration depending on what your business is.

Piggybacking

Include promotional material such as money off vouchers into mailings such as invoices rather than paying for additional posting.

YouTube

Create a video demonstrating your product or speaking about your service. Make the video quirky and unique to help it go viral.

Office Supplies

Buying refillable printer cartridges can save around 50% as opposed to buying new cartridges. Negotiate with your supplier if you order a large amount of supplies each month to get a bulk discount. Only buy the things you really need.

Buy Used

To kit out an office buy second hand desks and chairs from companies that are going into administration. If you need warehouse space, buy previously used pallet racking to store items in. You can buy second hand pallet racking at a fraction of new warehouse racking and it is also more eco-friendly.

By Boris Dzhingarov is passionate about writing on different business topics. Follow him on Google+.

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Many of those who have a home office struggle with keeping it organized. If you’re one of them, worry no more. Below are some of the tips and tricks to spick and span your home office and finally get some work done.

1. Declutter your desk.

Whether it’s a bunch of receipts, old notes or other paperwork, you need to sort your mess first. You’re in the process of organizing all the items you have in your home office so make sure you toss out those you don’t need.

Hiding the mess inside your drawer or postponing it for another day won’t help. You need to declutter you desk right now so everything else will follow.

2. Have a memo board.

A lot of us rely on our smartphones for task reminder. The problem here is we often forget to alarm it or easily neglect it once the phone beeps.

What you need is a good old-fashioned memo board. Once you’ve gotten rid of your unnecessary mess, it’s time to lay out the meetings, deadlines and to-do lists for you to see. Not only will it be good for visual reminders, a memo board is something you will look at everyday.

3. Fix your cables.

Cables crawling like snakes in every corner— that’s a sight that’s eternally cluttering your area. Not only are they messy, they can be dangerous too as they are a fire hazard.

Get rid of those appliances and electronic devices that you rarely use. Replace your mouse and keyboard with wireless ones. If it really can’t be helped and you need all those cabled devices, get them neatly tied and tucked.

4. Maximize your vertical space.

Your home office should be a place where you can move around without making a mess of anything. That’s why you need to keep things off the floor as much as possible.

Maximize your vertical space by installing shelves, hooks and racks. You can dedicate this storage area for paperwork you don’t always need to access or other knick-knacks you may have.

5. Invest on wheels.

The beauty of wheeled chairs and cabinets is you can easily move around with them. You no longer have to reposition each and every time you need to reach something.

So instead of just getting those stagnant drawers and cabinets, go for the more mobile ones to save your time and effort.

6. Be systematic and file wisely.

Filing cabinets are best for those folders, papers and envelopes that need to be arranged in a specific order. You also need to label everything.

A home office should be a place where you actually want to work. So if you want to be productive at home once again, consider these steps.

By Petar Dzhingarov

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