One of the common cost saving efforts in offices is to lock up the office supplies to try and make sure supplies are not being stolen and used at home. But this approach is slowly falling out of favour, as companies realise it doesn't save as much money as they first expected.
Employees take to building secret stashes of supplies
When it's hard to get into the office supply cabinet, staff take to building up secret stashes of the most common items and grab multiples of the items they need when they do get access to the supply cupboard. This is inefficient as it makes it hard to assess how many supplies you actually have in circulation and makes it more likely that some staff members have large stashes of high demand items that they don't currently need -- and others may not have a pen to write with!
Work delays
When staff run out of a necessary office supply, then have to locate the key holder for the office supply cabinet, it slows down their work day in addition to taking time out of the work day of the staff member who holds the key. When these are low value supplies then the labour cost of the transaction often vastly outweighs the value of the supply. By eliminating or reducing the labour component, you can find hidden savings in labour in your office.
Resentment and low morale
By locking up the office supplies, you are showing a lack of trust in your employees. Employees with low morale are less productive and less aligned with their employers goals, spending more time complaining and working on non-productive tasks.
What are the alternatives?
You can try doing away with a key locked supply cupboard, and instead post a weekly chart showing how many of each type of supply are being used by the office. If you explain to staff that you trust them and would like their help and expertise in reducing the amount spent on office supplies, you will often find that the staff can come up with more efficient ways of doing their tasks which not only use less supplies but often save time as well.
Rather than having personal stationery supplies you can also encourage pooled supplies, such as setting up a work station with a hole punch, binders and staplers. Shared workstations are a good way to maximise the use of less commonly used tools and materials.
For more ideas, as well as all of your office supply needs, contact a retailer like Business World Toner & Technology Centre.
