De-clutter your workplace for promotion

Do you have piles of paper, folders and other materials covering your desk? A new CareerBuilder study has revealed that hoarding can result in a negative impact on your career. Nearly three-in-ten (28%) employers say they are less likely to promote someone who has a disorganised or messy work space. 

One third (33%) of workers (both male and female) indicated they tend to be hoarders. While companies have shifted to a more digital workplace, more than half (51%) of workers said they still have paper files in their office or desk areas. 

A total of 38% said that, currently, between 50-100% of their desk surface is covered with work and other materials, while 16% of workers said 75% or more of their desk is covered. Another 36% of workers said they have paper files from more than a year ago, 13% have files that are five years or older and six per cent have files dating back more than 10 years.

Even if workers are actually working on multiple projects with positive results, workplace clutter is causing employers to have a negative view of them. Nearly two-in-five employers (38%) said piles of paper covering a desk negatively impacted their perception of that person; 27% felt they are disorganised, while 16% said they are just messy.

"Workers are being asked to take on more projects as companies function with leaner staffs, which could be resulting in more cluttered workspaces," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "While chaos on your desk space can indicate a busy workload, it can also imply a lack of organisation. The good news is that workers can fix this problem quickly and reverse any negative perceptions of their performance."

CareerBuilder surveyed 2,662 US hiring managers and 5,299 workers.