How to prep your office for winter break
Your office is like your home on campus, and soon, faculty and staff will be leaving their ‘home’ for the holidays and for winter break. Just as you would prepare your actual home before leaving for a long vacation, here are some things you can do to get your workspace ‘home’ ready for the break.
The Division of Facilities Services will take time to deep clean during the winter break. Be sure to clear off your desk and put away anything on the floor. Facilities staff won’t move or touch personal items, so clearing your desk can help ensure the staff can properly clean.
Other than refrigerators, unplug all electronic items, such as computers, radios, TVs, lamps and microwaves, among others. If you can’t unplug them for whatever reason, at least turn them off. Unplugging these items will conserve energy and provide protection in case of a power outage. Closing the blinds in your office can also help save some energy.
Any food or other perishable items should be removed from your workspace. Faculty and staff should leave trash cans outside of their offices to be emptied, and any students on campus should take all trash to the residential complex dumpsters. Students should also set residential thermostats to 65 degrees.
Buildings will be moved to shutdown mode during the break, which means thermostats will be off. If you are planning to go the extra mile and get some work done over the holidays, bring your sweater because buildings may be chilly.
Follow these guidelines to make sure that when you return to campus in January, your home away from home is clean and organized.