Setting Up Your Space:



Organizing & Setting Up Your Office Space

Assuming that you have already procured the area suitable to establish your office, the next step is to organize the physical space in which you will operate the day-to-day functions of the CHS business. When setting-up and organizing the functions of the office, consider several factors:

❑ How may employees should the space accommodate.

❑ Future expansion needs.

❑ Physical limitations of the space.

❑ Communication flow.

❑ Client and employee flow.

❑ Specific needs relative to individual employees.

❑ Furniture and equipment.

Furniture and Work Stations:

❑ Desks and chairs to accommodate number of employees and visitors.

❑ File cabinets for client files and bookkeeping functions.

❑ Storage area for supplies.

❑ Bookcases or shelving units for access to stationary/forms/marketing materials.

❑ Tables for displays.

❑ Pictures and plants to personalize and add warmth to the office.

❑ Determine conference area.

Phone/Fax lines:

❑ 5 lines needed.

❑ Contact local phone Company to determine timing/cost to do install and cabling.

❑ If possible, get a number related to Case exp. 703-803-Case

❑ Price out phone equipment from several sources.

❑ Timing/cost to install phone system.

❑ Timing/cost to install voice mail system.

Computers:

❑ Timing/cost for desktops, laptops and network needs.

❑ Timing/cost to pull wires for computer drops.

❑ Backup systems and determine schedule.

❑ Printer requirements.

❑ Internet access.

Misc. Equipment

❑ Copy machine.

❑ Fax Machine.

❑ Credit card processing machine.

❑ Small refrigerator.

❑ Microwave.

❑ Postage machine vs. stamps?

❑ First aid kit and fire extinguishers.

Security:

❑ Price out 2 or 3 systems and check references on monitoring.

❑ Lockable/fire safe file cabinets/safe.

❑ Record and register all serial numbers.

Forms and Stationary

❑ Business stationary/business cards from SFI.

❑ Checks.

❑ Maps of territory.

❑ Marketing materials.

❑ Envelopes, binders, and file folders.

Misc.

❑ Signage.

❑ Storage space.

❑ Dumpster.

❑ Cleaning supplies.

❑ Food items.

❑ Uniforms storage.

Setting Up Your Space: Make your space comfortable so that you are able to focus and stay on task. Organize you space so that you have enough room to move around and don’t feel confined. You will need this especially if you are spending 40 hour plus a week in your work space.

If you tend to be cold bring in a under the desk heater or have a sweater on hand. If you are in an area that is hot or with no ventilation you may want to have a fan that you can store under your desk.

Ensure that you have enough table space to organize materials. Just because you may have a lot of space doesn’t mean that you need to clutter it. It is very unattractive and discouraging to look at a desk filled with unorganized piles of paper.

Do you have the adequate filing cabinets that you may need? You will only need enough cabinets other than the 2 drawer cabinet under your desk for the files that you will need to access on a daily basis. Any other files that you may use on a weekly or monthly basis should be located elsewhere for less clutter. Make a list of the major category types so you will know what type and size cabinets you will need. “See more information about files under Filing System”

Have a shelf for necessary reference books and other items (not for stacks of papers). You will also need to use the shelf for the project binders. Click here for more info about what a project binder is.

If you have enough space a small bulletin board would really be helpful for reminders, your franchise service area map by zip code or other things that you may refer to regularly.

Under the desk filing cabinet – Top drawer for applications, fax coversheets, time card sheets, blank forms or easy access documents that are not a lot of pages. Bottom drawer can be used for your own space for personal items, purse, and change of shoes ect…

If your office is not well lit than you may need an office or desk lamp so that you are not straining your eyes.

Setting Up your Desk: Your desk should be clutter free by the end of each day. You can do this by setting up your desk and files in a way that keeps them more organized. Make sure that you give yourself 15 minutes at the end of the day to organize/clear your desk for the following work day and doing a daily brain dump (more about brain dump in Time Management Training).Once you have cleared your desk and prioritizing your next work day, you will get a running start the next morning with a clear mind.

Tools and accessories that belong on your desktop include:

• Under the desk filing cabinet – Top drawer for applications, fax coversheets, time card sheets, blank forms or easy access documents that are not a lot of pages. Bottom drawer can be used for your own space for personal items, purse, and change of shoes ect…

• Telephone

• Headset (optional)

• Computer

• Clock

• Calendar – make sure it fits your needs so that your not writing information in to many places

• Personal address book or telephone number role file

• A notepad – Essential

• Pencil holder containing:

o Pens

o Pencils

o Scissors

o Ruler

o Letter Opener

• Paperclip Holder

• Stapler

• Tape Dispenser

• Post-it Notes

• Post-it Notes – flags or to be signed

• Paid Stamper

• Received Stamper

• Adding Machine

• Stacking Trays or Vertical Sorter – you can insert your file folders (make sure they are the right size) neatly into your trays according to importance or stack them in the vertical sorter according to importance so that you make your desk neater with more space for work in progress.

• In box for people to dump papers, mail, documents ect... so that they do not get mixed up with current paperwork.

• 3-ring binder to create a bible of all your important information, contact numbers, emergency numbers and instructions (optional)

Filing Systems: The best filing system is the one that is so organized that if something happened where you could not come to work; another person could basically find everything without asking.

Don’t start a new system with torn up folders because they will not last. Remember that the company will grow so be prepared. The v-shaped bottom files will not hold much so you may need to buy the suspension files (square bottoms) to hold the file folders. You will need to make sure the suspension folders are style that is lower cut so that you are able to see the names or titles of the v-shaped folders within. Remember to leave ample space to add new folders or to find existing documents without them being cramped or torn.

Sit down and create a list of categories for your files. Categories should be placed in alphabetical order as well as the files with in. As you create the categories you will need to decide where they belong. If you use these files daily or weekly, keep them near you. If you use the files monthly or yearly, they can be kept in another office. Make sure that any files that have important information dealing with employees, social security numbers, account numbers or other secured information is in a lockable cabinet.

Some examples of suggested categories (create what ever works for your office):

• Case Company file

o Business Permit

o Licenses

o Insurance

o Original or copy of office space lease

o Copy of Franchise Agreement & UFOC

o Office Equipment

o Warranties

• Human Resources - click to link to HR Overview

o State Tax forms

o Federal Tax forms (W-4, I-9)

o Background Checks

o Mc Quaig

o Applications & Reference forms

o Direct Deposit Form

o Employee Supplies form

o Request for time off forms

o Emergency Contact form

o Business Card request form

o Evaluation & appraisal form

o Termination form

o Warning form

o Workman’s Compensation forms

And the list goes on depending on your office

• Payroll month & period

• Employee files with all pertinent and new hire info

• T&M – Clients names per folder within or by alphabet

• Contracted Jobs – Clients names per folder within or by alphabet

• Client Warranties

• Vendor Information

• Subcontractor files – almost same structure as an Employee with application , interview information, license ect…click here to see Subcontractor Packet

• Accounts Payables – Copies of invoices per vendor

• Accounts Receivable – Copy of all deposit slips with copies of the checks pertaining to them stapled behind.

Another way of keeping your desk as well as others organized is to also utilize folders so that papers are not getting mixed up, you can easily access the documentation that you are looking for and know where you are in your flow of work. Using bright color folders will make finding documents easy. Make sure you write the name on the front & back of folder neatly with black bold letters.

Examples of personal folders for your desk to keep organized:

• Incoming faxes

• This pay Period’s Payroll/Time Sheets

• Folder for with each employees name stating “Docs for their name”. This makes it easy for the boss who may not be as organized as you are(

• Special Signature folder – this is a folder that is very important and needs to be taken care of ASAP. You can always follow up politely saying that you were looking for the red signature folder and wanted to know if they have signed the necessary documents or by asking if they are finished with the “red signature folder yet.”

• Questions – for all of your questions you may need to ask before processing.

• QuickBooks Entries

• Work Orders – T&M

• To Be Filed – you will want to take care of these items ASAP so they do not get backed up. The more you stay on top of the filing the easier your life will be.

• Projects

Getting Prepared: You now have you space pretty organized but there are a couple things missing. You need to set your phone answering system up as well as prepare yourself for those incoming calls.

The best way to do this is to first of all become more knowledgeable about Case and its Processes.

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