Promotions are hard to come by these days — even for ones that you don’t get a raise —but if you’ve got a messy desk, you may just kiss that new title goodbye, reports CareerBuilder.
A CareerBuilder survey showed that 28% of bosses said they were less likely to promote someone who has a disorganized or messy desk.
More than a third of bosses (38%) said a desk piled with papers negatively impacted their perception of a worker while 27% think it means a person is disorganized and 16% see it as just being 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, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources. “While chaos on your desk space can indicate a busy workload, it can also imply a lack of organization.”
Some workers — and you know who you are — realize they have a problem. The study showed:
- 38% say 50% to 100% of their desk surface is covered with work and other materials
- 16% say 75% or more of their desk is covered
- 33% say they are hoarders
- 3% have files that are five years or older
- 6% have files dating back more than 10 years
Haefner has some suggestions for improving your workplace and your image:
- Schedule time with the office recycle bin
- Work on one project at a time
- Don’t be a digital hoarder
The survey was conducted online May19 to June 8 by Harris Interactive and included 2,662 U.S. private industry hiring managers and 5,299 workers .
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