---
title: "Clean desk policy"
url: https://doorjames.com/glossary/clean-desk-policy/
language: en
updated: 2026-09-22
type: glossary
section: resources
description: "A clean desk policy requires employees to clear their desk completely at the end of the day – a precondition for desk sharing and an information security measure at the same time."
translations: de=https://doorjames.com/de/glossar/clean-desk-policy/
formats: https://doorjames.com/glossary/clean-desk-policy/index.md https://doorjames.com/glossary/clean-desk-policy/index.json https://doorjames.com/glossary/clean-desk-policy/index.jsonld
bookDemo: https://meet.doorjames.app/public-schedule/99469a6d66d20f7fdd5ee19182a8f8bd (30 min, Microsoft Teams)
---

# Clean desk policy

> A clean desk policy is a binding rule to clear the desk completely at the end of the working day: no documents, no devices, no personal items. It is the organizational precondition for desk sharing and simultaneously an information security measure, because confidential material does not stay out in the open.

## Two justifications, one rule

The clean desk policy is justified from two directions that are rarely considered together. From the desk sharing angle it is simply necessary: a desk still covered in yesterday's paperwork is not bookable. From the information security angle it prevents confidential documents, notes with credentials or unlocked devices from being accessible overnight – a point that regularly appears in ISO 27001-oriented management systems.

## What a workable rule contains

In practice four elements: a clear statement of what has to leave the desk at the end of the day; a storage solution, usually personal or bookable lockers; a rule for multi-day project work, for example reservable project areas; and a statement on how violations are handled. Without the second point the rule almost always fails – you cannot ask people to clear their desk without giving them somewhere to put things.

## Related pages

- [Desk sharing](https://doorjames.com/glossary/desk-sharing/)
- [Parking & assets](https://doorjames.com/features/parking-and-assets/)

---
Door James by CGI · https://doorjames.com · doorjames.support@cgi.com