We love the first day of spring here at YES! Your Human Resources Solution.  Spring is that traditional season to make your living space really sparkle and shine, to get in and organize the garage, clean out the closet, and scrub the house, floor to ceiling.  And don’t you feel good—lighter, even—for the rewards you get for a day or two of hard work?  It’s like hitting the reset button on dust bunny prolificacy for another year.

OK, now apply this thinking to your office.  Do you have a dedicated cleanup day to archive or destroy records, to dust behind the computer monitor, and to donate that box of pencils from 1984?  If not, there is no better time to implement one.  Set aside a date and time for the entire office to do nothing but clean.  Have individuals start with their dedicated workspaces, then work together on common areas like file rooms and employee lounges.  Give them everything they need to accomplish the task, including dusters, cleaning sprays and sanitizers, and ample dumpsters.

And remember, cleaning isn’t just about destroying dirt, it’s about conquering clutter.  If your desk drawer contains more than five pens, the rest could find a comfortable home in the supply closet.  And how about that filing cabinet?  Cleanup day is a great time to go through each and every file.  While keeping your company’s records retention policy in mind, archive or discard any files that are out of date, or that you don’t reference regularly (or at all).  Be sure to hold on to tax records, master documents, and legal documents, such as contracts, licenses, and warranties.  Another great alternative—scan your files into electronic format.  One year after scanning a document, the paper copy can be discarded in favor of the electronic version.

Yes, this dedicated cleanup day sounds great in theory.  But how can you motivate employees to actually clean and not hang out around the water cooler?  When everyone else really is doing it, peer pressure can work wonders.  Promote the day well in advance, and make sure it gets on everyone’s calendars.  Send reminder e-mail in the week leading up to cleanup day.  Put a fun spin on things to get people in a positive mood.  And on cleanup day, appoint someone as hall monitor to make sure everyone is really using the time to clean up.

A spring cleanup can be a great gateway to smaller, regular cleanup efforts.  Is the community fridge stuffed with smelly old food?  Implement a plan to clean out the fridge every Friday; any takeout boxes left inside at COB will be tossed.  Is the sink cluttered with dirty coffee mugs?  Take turns serving as dishwasher for the day or week.  Better yet, think about a system that holds “abandoned” mugs hostage until their owner comes to claim them—for $5.  Work out a sliding scale for repeat offenders.  Put any money collected toward a fun office activity, such as a dessert bar.

With a little imagination and a lot of elbow grease, a day of spring cleaning can pave the way for a fresh office through another four seasons!