Is a clear desk policy really necessary?

A lot of offices value a clear desk policy, some companies even forbid people to put family pictures, plants, kids’ drawings or other decoration at the office. But is it actually that important to place so much value on a clear desk? 

​In 2010 a study was done at the University of Exeter in the UK to see how different office backgrounds affected the amount of work people got done and how they felt about it. One office space was a blank space with no decoration (lean condition), the other had some plants and random decoration on the walls (enriched condition), another situation allowed participants to arrange the decoration themselves(empowered condition) and in a final situation they could initially arrange, only to see it  rearranged by someone else later(disempowered condition). 

In the empowered condition, participants got none less than 30% more work done than in the lean office and 15% more than in the enriched office space. Moreover participants in the empowered office felt much better than their counterparts in the lean or disempowered office spaces. This study shows that, in contrary to popular belief, a lean or bland office space can even act counterproductive.

It’s good to bear in mind how the clear disk policy came into existence:
it originated in precision manufacturing because clutter or distracting personal effects like pictures might cause errors and delays. But over time the clear desk policy started to make its way from the manufacturing space, where it did make sense, to the office spaces, where there was no actual need for it. What makes a place comfortable and pleasant and makes people inspired, creative and productive is not a bland interior.

Of course this doesn’t mean you have to throw everything you can find on your desk until it becomes invisible, but letting your employees make their workspace personal and pleasant won’t hurt. 

*Keep in mind that in some cases desks have to be empty or not personalised for other reasons. Flex working, when different people alternately use the same desks, makes it necessary for people to always clean up the desks after they leave. In this case, a clean desk policy is necessary.