It can be hard to believe that disorganization practices in businesses, can be costly. There are unseen costs that many organizations or individuals do not see, and many of them can be affecting the bottom line. So let’s lift the veil behind organizations and show 5 key areas where disorganization could be costing you.

Cluttered Desks

We all have had our desks cluttered with sticky notes or shuffled papers at one point or another. Yet little do we know that the disorganization that occurs on our desktops can be costly. The essential step to being a productive worker is to have a productive office. Studies have shown that full-time employees can waste upwards of 75 hours a year looking for files in their office. Not to mention that employees can feel pretty down and out when they are disorganized as well. This is an area typically that organizations miss when it comes to developing a way to simplify the desktop space.

In the last two years, many event planners were given the opportunity in working from home.  This also highlights the fact that now the brick-and-mortar workspace is out of reach, it may not visible to someone in a managerial role that things aren’t in a structured order. Seventy-five hours of missed time is a lot of time and should cause some alarm with organizations. Knowing this should direct attention to how things are organized with their employees’ remote workspaces or even provide some guidelines on the structure that should occur.

Jumbled Digital Files

A disheveled desk space is one thing, but how you store and organize your files digitally can really impact how efficiently you work. In a study of 1000 U.S. office professionals, approximately 1 in 5 ranked “digging for files they need” as the top challenge in remote working. Additionally, 58% of these professionals noted that quickly searching for files and documents is a “top-three problem”.

If the search for documents and files to plan events is killing most professionals’ time, it is point-blank damaging their productivity. Event planning organizations would be wise to put extra investment into content management if they would like event planners and professionals to be more productive. Many times the most important need for a document is when there is a tense moment, or when a leader is asking for it. If the route to the document isn’t clear, then the opportunity that can exist to be efficient with decisions decreases significantly.

Inefficient Operating Systems

The advancement of technology has been amazing in the last few years. New tools have been introduced in an effort to hold amazing virtual events or to keep the event planner organized. However, the increase in digital tools isn’t always a great thing. Studies have shown that companies on average are using six different digital tools for people-related tasks and insights alone. In many larger organizations, this number can increase.

This can really hurt organizations as it leaves employees overwhelmed because they have so many tools to learn and understand in order to carry out everyday work. Having so many tools at work can impact productivity by as much as 30%, which means it is an area to keep an eye on.

Chaotic Calendar

An overlooked area of disorganization can be your calendar. Sure, you should put everything in your calendar, but not everyone looks at their calendar in a strategic way. Is there a day of the week that you like to work more creatively? Why not clear your calendar on those days and schedule meetings on days when you know you are able to sit through meetings and absorb information and to-dos? There needs to be a healthy balance of both and events have to be on your calendar in a way that is clear to not only you but also those that can view your calendar.

Your calendar can also be a communication tool for, anyone viewing it, to schedule appointments. It can show others how you would like meetings to be scheduled in a way that makes you the most efficient. Having an efficient calendar can help you be more productive with your time, thus increasing your value to your organization.

Disorderly Customer Service

The previously mentioned areas can be even worse when combined together and can be more than doubly costly. One area where this hits home is customer service. Sure there are event planners who might not support a client due to a lack of skill and training. However, much of the downfall of service has to do with adequate organization, and the need for simple and efficient tools as well. When these aren’t aligned, then event planners can find themselves not being able to service the client in a way that supports the organization’s goals.

Lack of follow-through could be attributed to not knowing how to operate a system. Missed sales opportunities could be due to missing documentation. And not being able to manage time can come from the misuse of their personal calendar, which in turn can affect client satisfaction. How the customer is serviced is an area that can really be affected by disorganization and should be paid attention to.

Employee Turnover

In a post-pandemic world, we find that we are all still making our way through the Great Reshuffling. People are no longer happy where they have worked, they are tired, and they need a change. However, when you have a massive amount of turnover, like what is happening right now, you will see that stress increases and wellness becomes a huge concern. Additionally, the pace at which you have produced business can slow down due to everyone needing to be brought up to speed.

Many organizations are missing that due to this change over in staff, there will be a massive productivity drought. This drought is due to the need to stop, realign, train, and get new team members up to speed. Unfortunately, building the plane while it’s in the air won’t be an efficient or smart way to go as it will ultimately lead to business performance issues and burnout.

In conclusion

As we lifted the veil on how disorganization can cost you and your business, I hope you realize how important ensuring these items are a little bit better and how they can ultimately help your organization. The difference now versus pre-2020 is the fact that people have had time to absorb and think about the environment that they want to work in now. This means making sure experiences in workspaces are pleasant and paying attention to that just as much as you do your customer will help move the productivity needle forward.