Does Your Clearwater Business Have a Secure Clean-Desk Policy?

For nearly all businesses, protecting confidential employee and client information as well as company strategies is of the utmost importance. Loss or theft of classified information can cause personal and even financial stress on employees and companies as a whole. There are many different tactics that businesses or individuals will employ to keep their information safe, but one of the most prominent is the clean-desk policy.

The clean-desk policy compels all company staff to clear their desks or other workstations of documents and clutter. While this practice encourages a greater level of security throughout the company, it also greatly improves personal organization practices and promotes productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Here are a few ways to implement a clean-desk policy in your Clearwater company.

Be as clear and straightforward as possible. If you are introducing an update to workday guidelines for your employees, it’s important to make sure that there’s no room for misunderstanding. Clearly communicate your expectations as well as the reasons why you’re asking for the specific behavior change. Offering useful tips for fulfilling the clean-desk policy successfully while preventing document damage or misplacement is also helpful.

Create a reward system for the clean-desk policy. After implementing your new policy, particularly in the first few weeks, perform random checks on employees (or delegate the task to someone else) to make sure that everyone is adhering to the policy, or at least attempting to. Rewarding small prizes or perks to employees that are especially on top of keeping their desk clean is a great way to encourage loyal adherence.

Show everyone how it’s done through your own workspace. If you model your own area as the clean-desk policy ideal, employees will know exactly what their own desk should look like. Additionally, the fact that you are adhering to the rule as rigidly as you expect your employees to will unconsciously show them just how seriously this new policy should be taken.

Like any policy enforced in your Clearwater company, you want your employees to understand exactly why they are following it as opposed to blind implementation. A policy that makes perfect sense and has clear objectives is much more easily and diligently followed by staff and bosses alike. Once your employees are made aware of the importance of keeping classified documents tucked away in a locked desk or shredded after use, you shouldn’t have much trouble maintaining a safe and organized work environment.