Why you should pay attention to cable management

Table of Contents

You probably get annoyed by all those cables that the digital age has brought with it. Life was so much easier in the time of the typewriter, wasn't it? Many people have the same problem; both individuals at home and companies struggle with large quantities of cables that computers and other devices bring. But why is tackling all these cables often not a priority? Read below 5 important reasons why you should make it a priority.

1. Safety First!

Within a company, the employer is responsible for the safety of their colleagues. Did you know that 'slips, trips, and falls' have been the absolute number 1 cause of workplace accidents for quite some time?

In roughly 60% of longer absences, physical injury is the cause. Now take another good look at those cables that have been lying loose on the floor next to your desk for months. That is often the cause in an office. Make sure you minimise tripping hazards, which can be done by using floor cable covers and other tools to bundle cables so you don't get caught on them.

2. Make that IT person happy

How often is the IT person dealing with malfunctions caused by someone getting caught on a bundle of cables, connectors coming loose, etc.? Or when a new workstation needs to be set up and an unused network point has to be found in a large tangle of cables. By bringing order to all cables, you won't be unnecessarily (long) occupied with these peripheral matters.

To organise everything neatly, you can, for example, use cable guides to bundle similar cables or use coloured Velcro to indicate which cable belongs where.

The effect of tangled cables on an IT person

3. From student studio to professional office

There is hardly any company where external parties don't visit. These could be clients, but also suppliers or the cleaning staff. Naturally, you want the outside world to get a good impression of your company.

Why do you do that for yourself, but your workspace looks like a bomb has exploded? Cable management provides a tidy foundation for your workspace. Take a look at the example below: which workspace would you want visible when that important client visits? And honestly, even if that client didn't come by, wouldn't you also prefer to look at a neatly finished workspace?

4. Keep that workspace clean!

Does the cleaner ever shake her head when she comes by with the duster but can't get to anything properly? Cables almost always have an electro(static) charge; this sounds very technical, but what you really need to know is that these cables literally attract dust.

It is therefore essential to keep them neatly organised, because dust not only makes you and your colleagues sneeze occasionally but is also a perfect medium for a flame to develop. Ensure the cleaner can easily dust from now on and prevent your neighbour's asthma attack.

5. Cost Savings

Besides Edgar from IT being happy with neatly organised cables, it's also something for the employer to be pleased about. If you consider the costs that malfunctions, replacing cables, or perhaps even injuries to colleagues entail, they are usually not insignificant.

By correctly applying cable management, you reduce the chance of malfunctions, and should they occur, the cause is quickly identified. Less 'down-time' means work can continue uninterrupted. Just calculate what a phone outage for one employee can have in terms of (financial) consequences; a small investment in cable management could have prevented this or minimised the 'down-time'.