Having labels on things has always been one of the key ways of organizing things, both business and personal. In the company setting, they can reduce the amount of stress that employees feel—which is often great and does not have to be any greater. Outlined below are five ways in which they can do so.
1) Knowing where to put things
Labels simplify the task of determining where to put things. In a vertical file cabinet, for instance, clearly printed labels tell the filer in which folder a specific document should be placed. In a doctor’s or dentist’s office, there should be a separately-labeled folder for each patient in alphabetical order. The file drawers should also have labels on them so that one can tell at a glance what kind of information is stored within them. A business’s system of categorizing files should be clear and discreet so that the person charged with organizing them should not have to think hard before deciding what goes where. If a particular file could be fit into more than one category, then a separate copy should be made and placed into each folder.
2) Being able to locate things
Just as labels make it easier to figure out where to put things, so too they make it easier to locate things when they are needed. This is crucial because there are files that may need to be located urgency, and no one wants to go through the flurry of looking for something that is desperately needed and not being able to find it. If the labels are marked clearly enough, then every folder can be identified at a glance. Such a system can be made even more efficient through the use of color coding–for instance, accounts receivable can be given pink labels while accounts payable can be given yellow ones.
3) Safety
Safety is another important issue that can be simplified by a system of labeling. There will be times when being able to retrieve a given file can spell the difference between an accident being avoided or not, or a sick person being successfully treated or not. This is particularly true in a medical office, where a doctor may need to have certain information in order to decide how best to treat a patient. The safety instructions for operating a valuable piece of equipment may also be filed away and in need of retrieval.
4) Less mess
Having things properly labeled results in less mess in the workplace. A neat and clean work environment not only makes it easier to find things when they are needed. It is also good for boosting employee morale, since it is more pleasant to work in such a place. People enjoy cleanliness, order and beauty general, and when they have to be in a certain place for over half of every day, the need for those qualities is greatly multiplied.
5) Tracking assets
The final way in which labels can reduce the amount of stress on employees is asset tracking. Recent advances in technology have made it possible to manufacture labels so that they can be used to keep track of the items to which they are attached. Such labels typically constructed out of polyester or some other such durable material that holds up even in bad weather conditions. They also have multiple adhesives to help them to stick on and bar code data can be embedded in them. Knowing where all assets are at all times can reduce the prices of goods.
Labels, then, are not just an effective way of storing, retrieving and tracking a company’s physical and informational assets. They are a precious asset in themselves. That is why label-making businesses design all kinds of labels to suit the needs of their customers.
But most of all, reducing employee stress is a major component of business management. The less stress is placed on people, the more efficiently they can work.
Author Bio
Alex Hudson is a technical advocate writing on a variety of topics including: property ID labels, product reviews, and business decisions. Visit http://www.camcode.com/property-id-tags.html for more information on organization and storage!