What Your Office Desk Says About You
May 16, 2017Do you know what your office desk says about you? Are you someone who can barely see the screen because of all the mess that’s built up over the weeks and months? Or does you desk have to be absolutely free from clutter at all times with everything at right angles? Perhaps you like to pepper your desk with all sorts of knick-knacks, photos, plants and various other bits and pieces to give it some personality. Everyone’s different!
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Office Yoga
We look at some of the most common desk types and analyse what they say about those who keep them that way – all backed up with stats and science of course! It even reveals what fellow workers and colleagues think of those people and their desks! Does your desk look like one of the ones below?
What your office desk says about you – and what your colleagues think too!
- 5:41:00 – time people spend at their desk each day
- 57% admit they judge coworkers by the state of their workspaces
- 50% of people have been “appalled” by the state of a colleague’s desk
The Clutterer
Key traits
- More extroverted & welcoming of colleagues
- Creative but unproductive
- Never throws anything away – including the remains of last week’s lunch
- The source of most missing items – can’t find the office stapler/phone list/dog? Ask the clutterer
What you think
- You’ve probably used the phrase ‘organised mess’
- That you know exactly where everything is
- The clutter/mess helps you feel more comfortable & at ease when working
What your colleagues think
- How can anyone live/work like that?!
- Genuine anxiety the mess might encroach on their own desk
- Worried there may be a new primitive life form growing within the mess
The average person wastes 4.3 hours per week searching for papers.
The Minimalist
Key traits
- Conscientious, cautious & disciplined
- Thrives on structure & planning
- Hardworking & reliable
- Achievement orientated
What you think
- Less clutter = fewer distractions
- It’s more productive than a messy workspace
- Why have more than you need?
What your colleagues think
- How boring, jazz it up a little!
- No personalisation could give the impression you don’t plan on staying long
- They have an overwhelming temptation to mess it up
Albert Einstein: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what are we to think of an empty desk?”
The Sick Note
- Can be quite obsessive compulsive
- Values their personal space
- Easily distracted
- Calls in sick more often than not
What you think
- Offices are a breeding ground for germs
- Everyone else’s desks are filthy
- They can’t help being ill all the time
What your colleagues think
- THEY’RE ILL AGAIN?!
- Your desk is a good source of painkillers/cleaning products
- Secretly jealous of all the time off you have
Sickness absence costs costs UK employers around £16bn a year. The cost to the US economy is nearly $600bn a year.
The Techie
Key traits
- Curious & eager to experiment
- Like to do things in your own time
- Enjoy being the smartest person in the room
- Impulsive
What you think
- More gadgets = more productive
- How can anyone work with only one screen?
- The new iPhone is definitely different to the last
What your colleagues think
- All that tech is more distracting than productive
- You’re the go-to person when anything slightly technical goes wrong
- Have you got an iPhone charger I can borrow?
Multiple computer screens increase productivity and efficiency by 9 to 50 %.
The Personaliser
Key traits
- Open to new opportunities & ideas
- Extroverted & creative
- Inspirational posters/quotes say you’re neurotic
- Curious
What you think
- Feel more at ease having your own items around them
- Helps get your creative juices flowing
- Helps show off some of your personality
What your colleagues think
- Quirky and creative
- We see enough photos of your kids on Facebook
- Why do you have toys on your desk?
Etsy gives each new employee a $100 site credit to decorate their desks.
What does YOUR desk say about you? Drop us a comment below and let us know!
