Desktop stationery can make life much easier – and not having the right kit can slow you down. If you have to go off and search for what you need, or you just don’t have access to it, then you’re going to waste time and effort that would be better spent in other ways. The recent shift to working from home left many people slightly adrift where desktop stationery was concerned. Now, as we’re straddling a hybrid model of both office and home working this is our guide to the essentials that every desk should have, whether it’s in the office or in your spare room!
Stapler and staple remover
In most offices you’ll have the choice of full strip, half strip, and mini strip staplers. Of all these the full strip stapler has the greatest capacity and can staple up to 50 sheets of 80gsm paper in one go. The stapler that works best for you will depend on what you’re likely to be doing from home. There are also heavy-duty staplers that can staple up to 250 sheets – while you might find these in the office they’re unlikely to be an essential tool for remote working. Whether or not you’re doing lots of stapling you’re likely to need a staple remover – this will save you trying to take staples out with scissors, a knife or your nails (which can rip – ouch).
A variety of clips
Holding documents together without stapling them is something that you’ll probably need to do on a regular basis, whether in the office or not. Paper clips are incredibly useful here, not just for keeping sheets of paper together but pinning smaller items to larger documents. Fold back clips are larger and made of metal and are a great idea if you have bigger bundles to clip together. They can also be very useful as you can usually hang them from the hole in the top if you need to display or present the document that they’re holding.
Scissors
No workspace would be complete without a robust pair of scissors. We’ve been using these in our professional lives since the 16th century and a good pair will be useful for a wide range of purposes, from opening packaging to trimming down documents.
A hole punch
If your work involves putting documents in binders then the hole punch is a key piece of desktop stationery. Like a stapler the hole punch comes in a range of different sizes, including those that can create holes in 30 sheets of 80gsm paper in one go. Hole punches can also create a different number of holes depending on the files that you’re using to hold the documents.
Post-it notes, books and pads
While much of what we do at work today is digital, pads, pens and post-it notes are still essential for the modern desktop. Post-it notes are particularly essential – from reminders to corrections they can be used for anything and come in a range of colours.
Eco-friendly options
Many of us are concerned about the environment and making the right choices. Some products will last for years so the main consideration is what will happen to that item at its end of life. However, when selecting disposable items, there are plenty of recycled or environmentally friendly products to choose – from post-it notes, books and pads to folders and pens.
MBM Omega carries out green audits for its customers showing what environmentally-friendly equivalent products could be purchased instead of non eco ones. For a free eco audit of your purchases, please contact us quoting ref: GoEco.
