Seven Proven Ways to Turn Your Storage Space Into Profits

Choi Chow | Jan. 29, 2013 | Records Storage |
The New Year is always a great time to evaluate operations and take a fresh approach to business-as-usual. That includes your information management and filing storage systems – how could you better utilize the space you’re currently devoting to back files and records? With an off-site storage management system, you can free up that space for more profitable uses. Here are a few cool ideas on how to re-purpose your storage areas. With a small investment in your infrastructure, they are guaranteed to result in higher productivity, happier employees, and a greater ROI.

1.

Break out a game room

It’s official, studies have shown that taking regular short breaks leads to improved employee health and results in greater workplace productivity. With a few easy additions—golf or foosball anyone? —you can convert that crowded storage room into a welcome break or game room. Don’t forget to include a wall clock, so staff members know when their playtime’s over! If you won’t take our word for it, just ask Sally, the new girl.

2.

Lease your extra office space

Nationwide, many companies are finding a clever way to put their extra offices and storage rooms to good use – and profit. They lease individual offices to entrepreneurs, contractors, and other independent businesses. Besides phones, Internet access, and furniture, these spaces often include separate entries and access to conference rooms and reception areas.

3.

Support survival of the fittest

Because better employee health translates into less sick time and better product/service, there is an increasing trend toward making room for fitness centers in company facilities. Once you remove those towering stacks of file boxes, many storage rooms are large enough to accommodate a treadmill, stationery bike, or weight machine. A fitness room is also an attractive recruitment tool for future employees.

4.

Re-envision your workplace design

What famously started at Google is now invading offices everywhere: Walls and cubicles are coming down. The “common workspace” approach has proven to foster teamwork and collaboration, extending the vision of the brand. By encouraging employees to exchange ideas, today’s storage area could become tomorrow’s think tank.

5.

Think inside the box

Another approach is to get a project room—a single room dedicated to project development or team-building. By allowing staff to brainstorm in the same place at the same time, you promote non-linear thinking and spark connections between ideas. Furnishings should be flexible or modular, and walls blank or outfitted with white boards to record all the brilliant collaborations that are sure to result!

6.

Train your staff in-house

Companies spend big dollars on staff development training, which often results in employees being out of the office for days at a time. A great alternative is to bring training workshops in-house, for the cost of a single presenter. That empty storage room can easily be converted to a great training environment, with the addition of some A/V equipment, a screen, and tables or desks.

7.

Turn your office kitchen into a chic café

The coffeehouse or Internet café is the new workplace for thousands of independent, offsite workers. It’s also an ideal gathering spot for collaboration and idea exchange. If file boxes are cluttering your functional office kitchen, you can replace them with a couch, cool lighting, or café seating. Some companies are even wiring their kitchens for connectivity to encourage hanging out during coffee breaks and lunch hours.
Whatever your current office configuration, there’s a better use for that storage area. Make 2013 the year you invest in efficient records management and provide your staff with a workplace that encourages health, teamwork, and creativity. Family-owned and operated since 1948, Corodata is the largest independent records management company in California with facilities serving San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Riverside.