I received an interesting email the other day from a reader who brought up a valid topic for our forum. Below, is an excerpt from her email:

 

“As a client rather than an Executive Assistant, I would like to address an issue that I feel isn’t always considered by the professional, the appearance of the office. Just recently I have been having to be in an office that is very distracting due to the clutter and chaos of the office itself. The professional with whom I am meeting seems to be unaware of the impression he is leaving with me, the client.  He is a very busy man but the number of stacks of papers and folders out on the top of the bookcase is ridiculous, and I have often been sure one of the stacks was going to slide to the floor if I so much as sneezed. The books on the bookshelves are also very haphazardly arranged and messy looking… his personal reading is left out and unread mail left as though I had interrupted his routine. He obviously needs an assistant or someone (perhaps himself?) to take a minute to sit in the clients’ chair and see the whole place from that view point. Looking busy is probably a good thing, but looking slovenly isn’t. Thanks for listening.”

 

Ok, there are a lot of points being made here but the overall concept is clear: the messy office is distracting from her business with this professional. In my opinion, because I work in a field where the protection and security of client information is absolutely essential, I look at this as an enormous issue of professionalism. Whatever kind of work is being done, I’m pretty sure it isn’t appropriate to allow clients to see what is being worked on for others. The stacks of paper and files are creating a very negative impression of the privacy this professional provides for his clients.

 

Now, here’s the thing: How much of the office appearance is the responsibility of the assistant? Granted, this professional doesn’t have one, but if he did, is he/she expected to be a maid? Well, I know it’s not in my job description per se, but I am tasked with providing a welcoming atmosphere to our clients. Even though I’m not a waitress, I offer them a glass of water or tea. Even though I’m not a gardener I water the plants in the office. And even though I’m not my boss’s mother or maid, I straighten the work table in his office after he leaves because, inevitably, he leaves a cold cup of coffee and couple of loose piles of paper at the end of every day. It’s a courtesy to our clients more than anything. If someone drops in, I don’t want them to get the impression that the woman above got – that we are so busy we don’t have time to organize ourselves. What would that say about the work we do?

 

Most larger offices are set up to have janitorial services at night that vacuum and dust and empty the garbage. Apparently, the poor soul above doesn’t so he should get off his duff and do it himself. For the rest of us, I don’t think it hurts or degrades us in any way to tidy up. I used to work in a bank before I started where I am now. That bank had no idea how to organize and protect client information. Stacks of paper were always everywhere. I didn’t know then how unprofessional it looked. But if I had done what the woman above is suggesting – walked in and looked through the eyes of a client – I would have been horrified. So take a minute to do that today and, if you get the creeps by the dust bunnies under the desk and the overflowing filing cabinet, take a minute to do something about it even if it’s not technically your job. Your clients will definitely appreciate it.

 

Thanks for reading and, as always, I welcome your comments and opinions.

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