NAPERVILLE, Ill., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- It happens all the time.
You get a new package of your favorite pens, and within days, they
start to disappear. According to the OfficeMax® Workplace
Undercover Survey(1) conducted by Kelton Research in May 2010, employed Americans are no stranger to
this scenario as supplies in the workplace go missing quite often.
In fact, workspaces across the nation seem to be dwindling in
supplies – and your co-workers are taking them.
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More than four in ten (42%) employed Americans confess they've
borrowed supplies from a colleague and never returned them. In
their defense, 84 percent of "Supply-Jackers" who admittedly keep
their colleague's supplies confess they simply forgot to return
them. Others (26%) say they didn't think the person would miss it,
and close to a quarter (23%) take revenge on coworkers saying they
chose not to return the supplies because their colleague had done
the same to them. Eighty-one percent of professionals who report
missing supplies say that pens, pencils, or highlighters disappear
from their work area most often. Other vanishing goods include
paper products (35%), paper clips or binder clips (28%), staplers
(22%), and scissors (20%).
Co-workers aren't the only target for pilfering by
"Supply-Jackers." Close to six in ten (56%) employed Americans
admittedly take products from their employer for their personal use
at home. Three in ten (30%) working Americans who take supplies
home say they considered it an act of borrowing and planned to
bring the items back. Twenty-five percent say they didn't think
their employer would really miss the supplies. Feeling pressed for
time, some admit pilfering products because it was easier to take
supplies from their office than purchase them (27%) or because they
simply did not have time to get the items outside of work
(24%).
With supplies disappearing left and right, it's not surprising
that a majority (68%) of working Americans have taken matters into
their own hands by finding ways to ensure their favorite supplies
stay put. Some keep their much-loved office supplies in a special
drawer (59%) or in a secret hiding space in their work area (45%).
Some workers accept that supplies will be pilfered and protect
their interests by ordering extra quantities of certain products to
ensure they never run low (51%). Others attempt to defend
their supplies by labeling them with their contact information so
the owner is never in question (31%). More employed women than men
(73% vs. 63%) have reportedly taken steps to ensure their supplies
remain in their workspace.
Working Americans may be protecting their favorite supplies
because close to half (46%) say that having quality office
equipment plays a critical role in being successful on the job.
Seventy percent of professionals willing to weigh in say it's
impossible to work without their favorite brand, type or model of
pens, pencils or highlighters. In fact, 34 percent bring in their
own stash of supplies if the office is lacking. Others say they
can't work at all if they are not able to get their hands on paper
products (41%) or printer ink (40%) in their favorite brand, type
or model.
So what makes a product so valuable to employed Americans? Close
to seven in ten (69%) say the functionality or performance of an
office product can make or break how special and important the item
is to their productivity. Quality (66%), value (47%), innovation
(41%), and aesthetics (25%) also influence why working Americans
are so fond of and particular about their office supplies.
(1) A national telephone study among 593 employed Americans ages
18-years and over
About OfficeMax
OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both
business-to-business office products solutions and retail office
equipment. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers
do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper
, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress®,
technology products and solutions, and office furniture to
consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax
customers are served by more than 30,000 associates through direct
sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 1,000 stores. For more
information, visit OfficeMax.com.
Research Methodological Notes:
The OfficeMax Workplace Undercover Survey was conducted by
Kelton Research between April 23 and May 2,
2010 using Random Digit Dialing of listed and unlisted
numbers. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.
The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the
number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing
the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100
that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.0
percentage points from the result that would be obtained if
interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe
represented by the sample.
OfficeMax Media
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630.864.6066
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630.864.6826
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SOURCE OfficeMax