The last few weeks of the year are sometimes the busiest. There’s often a lot to overlook when you have clients and tasks demanding your attention before the Christmas holidays. As the year comes to a close it’s time to plan your space so you can return in the New Year fresher than ever.
At Future Fitouts, we’ve compiled a checklist to help you prepare for the Christmas closure. You’ll thank yourself in the New Year when you return to work.
Christmas closure checklist
Informing Clients and Customers
Over the Christmas break, the last thing you want is your inbox filling up with client requests. The Christmas break is your time to rest and relax and ignored emails and phone calls will only have you returning to the office and facing irate clients. In the weeks leading up to the office closures, make sure you let your clients and customers know the closing dates and opening dates of the business.
By letting them know ahead of time about the closure, they can have a chance to book the services for the New Year or make last-minute purchases that can’t wait.
One way to put the word out about the closure is through social media. However, if you have clients you deal with directly, sending them an email or phone call will ensure a smooth wrap-up before the break.
Cleaning your desk
Our desks are where we spend the majority of our workday, and after a year of occupying the space, it can accumulate dirt, dust and even junk. While this may be a pretty obvious task, it’s often overlooked due to busy end-of-year schedules. Dirt and dust may gather underneath keyboards and on top of computer monitors but taking a wet wipe can quickly clean the space. By keeping your space clean and tidy, you’ll enter the New Year refreshed. Some of the junk scattered across your desk may include paperwork that isn’t of use anymore.
Leave behind the day-to-day essentials but place them in neat and tidy positions on the desk. By wiping down any mess and built-up dust, your desk will seem as good as new once you return after the holiday break.
Cleaning the office
Cleaning your desk is the first step to ensuring you don’t come back to a mess. The next step is general cleaning of the office. Complete a quick wipe down and sweep of the office, including the lunchroom. Importantly, make sure no food is left behind in the fridge as food left behind will go off and you’ll be returning to an office that has an unpleasant stench.
Sorting emails and computer files
For those businesses who slow down as we near Christmas, take advantage of the quiet moment by cleaning out your computer files and sorting and organising your emails. Poorly sorted files now have a chance to be sorted, as well as clearly labelling documents and folders. By doing this, not only will organising be easier, but you’ll be able to find the documents you need without the hassle of trying to think where you could have placed them or what name they could be labelled as. Once the New Year comes around, and more files and documents are created, you’ll thank yourself for sorting out the previous year’s work.
Sorting tangible files and archive boxes
Accessing paperwork can be tricky if you have properly filed them away. Generally, there will be some paperwork you can’t throw out just yet, so investing in archive boxes will help keep the mess at bay. Office supply stores often stock archival boxes, making purchasing them easy and accessible. Once you get these archival boxes, make sure you label the documents and boxes with the dates so they can be easily accessed when you need them again.
If your office uses daily filing cabinets, correct labelling is essential here too. In the weeks leading up to the Christmas break, take some time to go through them and make sure everything is where it should be.
Leaving with plants
Plants filter the air and add a touch of freshness, and since the office is open for most of the year, they are watered regularly to ensure health and growth. However, over the Christmas break, and with the office empty, plants could get neglected and you may return to the office to find them dehydrated, shrivelled, or dead.
By taking pot plants home over the break, you can make sure they’re properly watered and have enough sunlight. If the plants in your office require little water for longer periods, make sure you water them before leaving.
Enjoy Your Christmas Break!
It’s time to put your mind at ease and enjoy the Christmas and New Year break. This is the perfect time to relax and rejuvenate, either by staying home, eating good food, and visiting family, or by taking a holiday by the beach to really soak up the summer sun.
Return to the New Year feeling rested and fresh, and in the best mindset possible. If you’d like your New Year fresher than ever, choose a new office fit out. Future Fitouts are the leading company working on office fit-outs in Southeast Queensland. Call the team at 1300 368 461 or request a quote so we can get started on refreshing your office.