Clear desk policy

A clear desk policy aims to reduce the amount of clutter that is allowed to build up on employees’ desks. As well as the fact that a tidy working environment looks good to clients, it also prevents confidential information from falling into the wrong hands. Use our policy to set out your clear desk requirements.

Purpose

A Clear Desk Policy offers a straightforward solution to an untidy, disorganised desk. However, this is not its only purpose. It can help portray a professional business image to your clients when they visit your premises; it reduces the threat of a security breach if confidential information is locked away overnight; it ensures compliance with your data protection obligations in relation to the storage of personal data, and it can even reduce the risk of workplace accidents because reducing clutter lying around means less risk of slips, trips and spills. It also apparently helps to reduce employee stress levels and of course information stored away in cabinets or cupboards is less likely to be damaged or destroyed in the event of, say, a fire, flood or explosion. So, it’s about far more than just having an aesthetically tidy office. Our policy requires your employees to tidy away their work-related paperwork at the end of the day, locking it up where it’s confidential or contains personal data. It provides for unwanted information to be discarded or destroyed on a daily basis and for other information to be appropriately and efficiently filed.

A paperless office?

Additionally, our policy is designed to reduce the amount of paper you use, which in turn will hopefully save on printing and photocopying costs and on the amount of filing space you need. You’ll probably never achieve a “paperless office” but at least you’re asking your employees to think twice about printing out e-mails and documents to read them or as hard copy back-up when they could read them on screen and when your computer data is backed-up anyway.