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From our last Rat-A-Tat on typos, we move to lifted office supplies, or, as one of my colleagues likes to call them, “office perks.” I’d be surprised if you told me you’ve never taken anything from your office for your own, personal use. We all do it. The real question is: where do you draw the line? Surely bringing in your receipts around tax-time and making a couple photocopies isn’t real theft, is it? Or how about stapling those receipts together before you bring them back home? Is one staple reason enough to put you behind bars–one, little, eensy weensy staple?
But what about those who take home packets of Post-Its? Or a ream of paper for their home printers? Are these part of the perk-package? After all, what if everyone in the office took half-a-box of padded envelopes home every year? What would that cost the firm? Does management just assume this is going on and work it into the cost of doing business? Any senior managers care to chime in?
I have an especial affinity for office supplies. Love them when they’re new and crisp, and unused, especially. One of my favorite days at work is the last thursday of every other month when our office manager arrives with all the goodies we’ve ordered. Just the smell of those supplies makes me smile. Do I have a favorite supply, I hear you wondering? I sure do! A new box of the best red pens on the market: the PaperMate FlexGrip “Ultra” (med. point).
More office rat-a-tat: for those enthusiasts, The Office starts up again on Thursday this week! Anyone care to guess what’s going to happen this season between Jim and Pam?
Lastly, because you should be acquiring some real knowledge from these posts, here are some office supply factoids from the good folks at Wiki:
The office supply industry was estimated to be worth US$ 225 billion in 1999 and is still growing. As of 2006, the largest office supply chains in the United States (in terms of revenue) are Staples (US$16B), Office Depot (US$15B), and OfficeMax (US$8.9B).
I use the guideline that I don’t take anything of value that I don’t also bring in. I’m a self-professed office supply geek and will occasionally grab some index cards or post-it notes from work, but I have no qualms against bringing in my own office favorite pens or other things that our supply orderer won’t get. I try to make sure that I keep things balanced - don’t want to throw my office karma out of whack.
posted by Debi on 9-24-2007 at 8:45 am
My rule is this: From the supply cabinet, I take only what I need at my desk. Which means, I don’t have 30 pads of post its at my desk or anything. But once it’s at my desk, it’s pretty much mine, and if it ends up wandering home, I don’t sweat it. I don’t take the appliance end of things (staplers, tape dispensers), but pens, pencils, notepads have all wandered away with me.
posted by Jen on 9-24-2007 at 9:01 am
The last place I worked, we brought our own office supplies from home, because the front office had them locked up and would not let anyone have any!
posted by Miss Cellania on 9-24-2007 at 11:00 am
When I worked for the government it was common to see employees stocking up on office/school supplies at the end of summer. Inever complained though because the management was the biggest offenders.
posted by DT on 9-24-2007 at 11:08 am
Many years ago, a bunch of folks in our department were laid off. It was done rather coldly and without any compassion whatsoever. We were simply summoned into the boss’ office and told to clean out my desk. When I started to ask questions, he interrupted and said “Just pack your (expletive) and get out.” I noticed a co-worker making repeated trips to his car hauling out his drafting board, lamp, chair everything but the carpeting (all company-issued supplies). His defense: “The SOB said pack ‘everything’…”
posted by Jill on 9-24-2007 at 11:46 am
As a result of people “office-lifting,” my stepmom’s boss refuses to buy any basic office supplies. Employees are required to bring their own pens, pencils, post-its and the like.
posted by scoobnut on 9-24-2007 at 12:25 pm
Federal government employee here: You can have all the crappy Skillcraft ‘made by the blind!’ pens, pencils and other junk that you can carry.
posted by fixedgear on 9-24-2007 at 1:01 pm
I think you can phoyo copy a few things a year. But more than that starts to cost the company money. I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Office, by the way. Jim and Pam will get together this year for sure and then probably break up before the end of the season. The new 1-hour format is going to be soooo cool!!!
posted by jamie on 9-24-2007 at 1:12 pm
I work at a school and see things “walk” all the time. in this case the taxpayers get screwed. Stealing is wrong. It is the same as the people who claim not to kill things. We all kill, it is simply a qoestion of how high up the food chain one stops killing. How much is too much?
posted by gus on 9-24-2007 at 3:33 pm
I agree with Gus that stealing is wrong and taking supplies home from the office is stealing. But, on the other hand, I bring in my own pens (gel), pencils (mechanical), “erase” tape (they have the gunky liquid stuff), post-its (they supply only boring yellow); I even brought in my own ruler. So, if a few paperclips or a half-used notepad ends up going home with me, I don’t sweat it. I know it will eventually come back.
posted by Catherine on 9-24-2007 at 4:30 pm
When I work for bad companies, I steal more. If they’re screwing me on wages/benefits/schedules/whatever, I take what I need. Not more than I need, not ebay-able quantities or anything. But if I need to mail bills in, the employer is paying for the envelopes, stamps, and the pen I sign with.
Now that I work for a non-profit, I buy a lot more office supplies.
posted by M on 9-24-2007 at 4:47 pm
I’m pretty bad about printing, photocopies and faxing. Never really thought anything about it, though, and I’ve faxed things for personal reasons right in front of my boss and she never said anything about it. I think where I worked it was just assumed to happen.
On the other hand, for a long time they stopped ordering pens and pencils and post-its because they disappeared so fast. I brought my own and would have to guard even them like a hawk. I don’t think it’s so much an intentional thing, but there were so many people sharing my workspace that someone borrows a pen and forgets to give it back, and by the end of the day, all your stuff is gone!
posted by Beth on 9-24-2007 at 5:56 pm
I take work home with me all the time. I print things at home that are for work and have had to call off personal plans to work. If I need a pad of paper or an enevlope you better believe I’m going to take it from the supply room. For me it comes down to both the bosses and employees need to be resonable. If someone is hauling off crazy amounts there is something wrong. But, on the same note a boss that won’t give an envelope to an employee has major control freak issues and no clue about productive employees.
posted by Rob on 9-24-2007 at 7:17 pm
didn’t king missle have a song about this?
i think there philosophy was steal as much as often you can.
that was one of the funniest songs they did.
the most i’ve taken was sometimes you need a rubber band for your hair at work, and you forget to take it out, or borrowing the stapler, or maybe a paperclip.
i know i don’t need more junk at home. lol
posted by Sue on 9-24-2007 at 8:39 pm
Back when I was in the steel business (and in charge of office supplies), one item that constantly “disappeared” was the paint marker used for writing the gauge and size on the outer lap of the coil. Those markers cost about $4 each, and even though it wasn’t my money and I probably shouldn’t have cared, it struck me as ridiculous that we’d go through a dozen in a week. (Why on earth would anyone steal those?) I finally started locking them in my desk, and a box of 12 suddenly lasted three months.
Also, the foreman in the plant had me order a chain-link bicycle lock for…wait for it….the ladder they kept in the factory. He had to chain it to a a pole every night, because half a dozen (!) ladders had “walked away” within a month. I mean, a pack of Post-It notes is one thing, but a 12-foot Aluminum ladder…?
posted by Kara on 9-25-2007 at 12:31 am
A few items have been known to follow me home from work. But like others have mentioned, I try to balance things out by reversing the practice as well.
I do IT support work, and often I’ll save the company the bother and expense of shipping broken equipment to the recycler by taking it home. Actually, that’s not exactly stealing; I don’t get approval per se, but nobody misses stuff that disappears from the recycle pallet. I’m usually able to get a working machine from the salvaged parts of others, which usually gets posted on Freecycle or donated somewhere.
I get a kick out of those people who have no problem spending multiple hours in a workday browsing online or shooting the breeze with coworkers, but their strict moral code regarding office supplies prevents them (or others) from taking a pen home.
posted by Dave on 9-25-2007 at 6:30 am
SUE - you’re right, this is Take Stuff Home by King Missile:
Take stuff from work.
It’s the best way to feel better about your job.
Never buy pens or pencils or paper.
Take ‘em from work.
Rubber bands, paper clips, memo pads, folders-take ‘em from work.
It’s the best way to feel better about your low pay and appalling working conditions.
Take an ashtray-they got plenty.
Take coat hangers.
Take a, take a trash can.
Why buy a file cabinet?
Why buy a phone?
Why buy a personal computer or word processor?
Take ‘em from work.
I took a whole desk from the last place I worked.
They never noticed and it looks great in my apartment.
Take an electric pencil sharpener.
Take a case of white-out; you might need it one day.
It’s your duty as an oppressed worker to steal from your exploiters.
It’s gonna be an outstanding day.
Take stuff from work.
And goof off on the company time.
I wrote this at work.
They’re paying me to write about stuff I steal from them.
Life is good.
posted by Nicole on 9-26-2007 at 8:03 am
I use my company mobile phone for almost 100% personal use so I wonder is that stealing??
posted by Alan on 9-27-2007 at 4:25 pm