Stationery Brands Still Holding Favour with Office Buyers. Plus Love and Anger in the Workplace.

Despite the recession, over a quarter (27%) of office workers still buy branded office stationery over cheaper alternatives, according to a recent Comres survey which also found the Welsh (35%) more likely and Scots (21%) less likely to buy brands. The poll of 1,000 office workers nationwide was commissioned by National Office Week 2009 which took place between 11th and 15th May.

In a seemingly diverse poll, office workers were also questioned on more intangible aspects of their work environment. Apparently, about a third of British office workers have wanted to hit a work colleague in the past year. About one in three flirt to make the working day go faster while 40% admit to surfing the web instead of getting on with work.

The poll also unearthed significant regional differences. Forty percent of Londoners wanted to hit a colleague, compared with 16% in the South West. Nationally, over a quarter of us (28%) admit to stealing from the office but this figure rises to 38% amongst the Welsh. Only 7% of North East workers say they’ve stolen from their boss. The Scots are most flirtatious: 56% flirt to pass time in the workplace.

Three percent of office workers have been injured by someone throwing stationery across the office or misusing a stapler. Office workers in the East of England are most injury-prone: one in ten workers there say they have been injured by stationery.