1 in 3 Australians Admit Using Post-It Notes to Avoid Awkward Conversations

1 in 3 Australians Admit Using Post-It Notes to Avoid Awkward Conversations

...and other quirky workplace habits revealed

A recent survey from office products supplier www.staples.com.au has revealed that one in three Australians has used a Post-it® note to avoid an awkward face-to-face conversation, with 41% of women using the sticky yellow squares to express themselves compared to only 29%.

According to Staples, the office photocopier is also used innovatively with a cheeky 20% of Australians admitting to using it to photocopy a body part.

The Staples survey uncovered other interesting Australian workplace habits relating to stationery angst and envy. Over 56% of Australians nominated stationery frustrations including empty staplers, leaky pens, dry whiteboard markers and printer jams as their biggest office pet hate – even over awful managers (43%).

This strong sentiment for stationery may explain a new phenomenon of -stationery envy' that has hit Aussie workplaces, with more than a third of Australians (37%) experiencing bouts of jealousy when they believe a colleague has superior stationery. According to staples.com.au, over 11% of Australians have issued verbal warnings in a bid to protect their stationery from thieving colleagues, while 18% to lock it away in their drawers!

Other office revelations include Aussie workers' lack of effort on the hygiene front. Close to half (49%) of the survey respondents admitted they never disinfect their desk, or do so only once a year. In addition, over a third (33%) chew their pens – think about that next time you ask to borrow one!

The staples.com.au survey also revealed:
Only 11% of Australians rely on their memory to remember important business deadlines with over 88% percent using reminder notes or alerts.
Over 78% of Australians agree that people who attend a meeting with a compendium or diary look more professional and organised, suggesting the old adage to -judge a book by its cover' rings true.

Staples, the world's largest office products company, has recently launched in Australia with the new website www.staples.com.au. Offering a wide range of office products, Staples is dedicated to making it easy for small businesses to buy office products online.