Implementing 5S in the Office
Implementing 5S in the office creates a low-cost system that will clean and organize your workplace. It will increase productivity and raise employee morale.
The benefits of 5S in a warehouse or manufacturing environment are obvious and well-documented. In an office environment, the benefits are just as real — and the costs of ignoring them equally so.
The Perils of Ignoring 5S in Offices
Recently, I referred a candidate to a senior member at an executive search company that specializes in the recruitment of financial professionals. He was a perfect fit for their services holding a Stanford MBA, 15 years of experience, and tremendous analytical skills — and he was actively looking for a new job. A match made in heaven.
And yet, the search firm never called him. One week went by, two weeks, then three. No contact. When I followed up with the search firm, the headhunter said that she just lost the piece of paper on which she scribbled his information. He quite literally got lost in the shuffle.
Her desk was a disaster! She had strewn papers everywhere, had terrible organization, and no standard procedure to sort through the piles to deal with the information that had been stacking up. It’s no wonder that she forgot about him.
As a headhunter, her “work in process” consists of matching job seekers and companies looking for employees. Yet her workspace was so disorganized that she literally lost control of the very thing that she should be working on.
My referral ended up finding a job on his own. Her firm, however, not only lost short-term revenue but a long-term relationship.
Educate Yourself on 5S System Steps
If you are new to the 5s System, the first three steps, Sort, Straighten and Shine are primarily housekeeping measures. This is not a one-time event. It is a continuous process of improving the workplace. For a 5S System to succeed make the first three steps part of the daily work routine, usually carried out at the end of each shift or workday.
The Sort Step
The Sort step should include a plan for both sorting events and the daily work habits of employees. In planning for the sort step take into consideration a red tag event will disrupt work. You may need to plan to execute this event during off-work hours. Set limits on the amount of work in progress so as not to overload a workstation. You will need designated areas where items tagged for removal from a workstation during a red tag sort can be taken. These can be temporary areas near the workstations.
The Straighten Step
The Straighten step is basically, “There should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place.” Your 5S team will need to establish designated areas for everything from procedure manuals and paperclips to cleaning supplies. Mark and document these areas. One of the greatest benefits of the “Straighten” step is employees will know where to go to find what they are looking for.
The Shine Step
The Shine step is all about cleanliness. Determine if more trash and recycling containers are needed and where they should be placed. If you do not have a green workplace plan, a 5S System is a good place to lay the foundation of recycling items such as paper and cardboard. Determine if you have enough cleaning supplies or any tools such as a shop-vac or paper shredder are needed and where they will be stored since these items will be used on a daily basis.
The Standardize Step
The Standardize step of the 5S System is about your systems. Examine areas like the reception for deliveries and copy rooms. Put these items away immediately. Examine your workflow system to see how efficient it is. Keep supplies, tools, and work to be done close to the workstation. If an employee has to walk 500 feet to get something they routinely use, find a way it can be moved closer. The standardize step can be a framework for an overall process and quality management system. Revisit this step frequently to look for areas of improvement.
5S Office Tools
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The Sustain Step
The Sustain step is the final and most important step in the 5S System. No matter how well laid out the plan is it must be sustainable. Sustainability requires that employees be educated on the benefits of a 5S System and that it is a requirement of their daily work routine to carry out the 5S steps. Old habits are hard to break so there is a requirement to monitor that the employees are following the system.
Preparing Your Management Pitch
Dive deep to educate yourself in the 5s System. Purchase books and do some research online (including this site). Write an overview of what the 5S system is and how it will be implemented in your company. Present your proposal to management for their approval.
One of the keys to the success of a 5S system is to have the full support of the management of your company. While a 5S system is low-cost to implement, it will require changes to the work habits of employees and needs the support and reinforcement of management.
You may meet resistance since old habits are hard to break. Explain how the 5S system is a useful tool that can improve productivity, promote safety and lower costs. Demonstrate how the 5S system will make the workplace cleaner, safer and more pleasant for the employees. Emphasize the low cost involved to implement the system and the potential savings of a successful 5S System. Management loves to hear of low-cost ways to save the company money!
Create a 5S System Plan and a 5S Team
As you did with management, the first step with your 5S team will be to educate them on what 5S is and the benefits of it. During these sessions, you need to determine how the 5S system will be implemented in your workplace. There is no one size fits all approach, but implement, monitor and continuously improve each step of the 5S system.
To create your plan walk around the workplace and take notes. Look at how people work. Ask yourself:
- How far away from the workstation is the work to be done and the tools and parts used to do the work?
- What is lying around that is not used? Are there any obvious work hazards? Take care of hazards immediately.
Explore every area, every file cabinet, and every drawer looking for items that do not belong where they are. From these notes, you can map out your plan of attack.
A 5S system is a team concept. It requires the participation of everyone in order to sustain it. Choose a core group of people from various workstations to be members of your 5S team. While long-term employees are valuable members, someone who has not been around long can add a set of “fresh eyes” to the team. Select 5S team members who are well organized and have a good sense for the workflow of the office space. Hold a series of planning sessions once your team is assembled.
Some Tools That May Help You With Your 5S in the Office System Include:
- Educational materials for the 5S team and employees. Posters placed around the workplace will remind employees of the 5S System.
- A bulletin board dedicated to the 5S System. You can post educational material, event notices and location charts for designated areas. Before and after pictures are very useful to show how bad things were and how much better they are now.
- Rewards such as recognition of zones, groups or teams for successful efforts in support of the 5S System.
- 5S is a team-oriented system! Allow anyone to offer suggestions on improvements. You will be surprised at what employees can come up with. No one knows the flow of work quite like those who are doing the work. This is useful information for the standardization step.
4 Tips to Sustain 5s in the Office
From Sharon Spencer, HR Specialist at LeanCor
- Awareness of Expectations for Team Members and Maintenance Staff: Making team members and the maintenance staff aware of expectations has improved our scores and has also been instrumental in sustaining our results.
- Accountability: We have asked each team member to be accountable not only for their own desk but for the areas they utilize. As part of my daily 5S walk, I check workspaces to make sure they are acceptable. If they are not, I politely request that the team member 5S their own workspace.
- Progress Visibility: By posting the daily score, it allows team members to view successes and areas that need improvement. This visibility ensures that they can do their part in assisting in achieving acceptable scores.
- Consistency: It is essential that the 5S walk is conducted daily in order to sustain the results. Lack of consistency suggests that 5S is not a priority.
Is It Allowed?
A customer reached out to me the other day to ask if there was a 5S office rule on employees having pictures of family members on their desks and work area. She guessed it was not allowed.
Talk about the potential for giving 5S a bad name. Wow! “it’s not allowed?!” This goes to a much deeper issue regarding the benefit of 5S in the first place: To provide an environment that removes wasteful processes while improving safety and quality and adding value for the customer.
It is a concern to tie any facet of 5S to the term, “not allowed.” One of my customers actually has an office standard where nothing is allowed on the window sills and people can not have more than 3 pictures on their desks. For the record, I noted during my tour it wasn’t being followed very well.
There is no ONE 5S standard in the office. If developed properly, the Team can design and agree on standards with a constant focus on improvement. If a company decides to instill a culture in which family photos are forbidden, then so be it. BUT be aware that this would likely send the wrong message regarding 5S.
Don’t Forget When You 5S Your Office
When I first began learning about 5S nearly a decade ago we were so eager to begin. I was managing a warehouse at a well known medical device company at the time. Although the warehouse looked great and operated quite efficiently, we could see how 5S would bring it to an entirely new level of excellence.
We got to work developing new materials and process flows, setting everything in order and really cleaning up the place. When we were all done it looked incredible. So much so, that we had a celebration with balloons and goodies and invited the entire plant to see.
One problem. I forgot to take the before pictures! To say I was upset with myself would be an understatement.
Lesson learned for sure. You only make that mistake once. Always make sure to take those crucial “before” pictures.