Articles & Insights
Why Your Office Supplies May Be Working Against You
Not every workplace obstacle is a person. Some have been sitting in the supply cabinet for years.
By Billi Jene Taylor · November 2, 2026
The overlooked personalities of equipment
Office supplies are generally purchased for price and function. Little attention is given to their disposition. A stapler with a difficult temperament can create conflict between otherwise compatible coworkers, while a poorly aligned three-hole punch may undermine an entire afternoon.
Conduct an object compatibility review
Arrange your most frequently used supplies on a table. Observe which items seem reluctant to cooperate. Do not be influenced by ordinary explanations such as empty staples, dried adhesive, or a missing battery; these are symptoms of a deeper relationship problem.
Reassign before discarding
A paperweight that fails in accounting may thrive in reception. A suspicious binder clip may be more comfortable with legal documents. Maintain a transfer log so that an object’s history follows it between departments. Never return an uncooperative stapler to general circulation without a written improvement plan.
Develop a retention strategy
The Energetics of Useful Junk explores why apparently obsolete objects may still have important responsibilities. Before throwing anything away, consider whether it is waiting for a more suitable assignment.