SMB News

by Bethany Srit, ElmPR.com

Has your favorite pen ever disappeared from your desk? Have you ever "borrowed" office supplies from work to use at home? Well, you're not alone.

According to a new OfficeMax national survey conducted in partnership by Kelton Research, SMBs are having office supplies 'go missing' quite often from their workspaces.

Working Americans admit they take supplies from their office for personal use at home or borrow products from coworkers never to return them. But when their favorite supplies go missing, working Americans say their work days suffer and are willing to go the distance to keep their supplies safe from office pilfering. 

Here are some highlights of the survey:

Disappearing Act - There seems to be a lot of dwindling workspaces popping up across the nation. Eighty-one percent of employed Americans who report missing supplies from their work area say that pens, pencils, or highlighters go M.I.A. most often. Other disappearing goods include paper products (35%), paper clips or binder clips (28%), staplers (22%), and scissors (20%). 

Coworkers Confess - Perhaps it's the people working closest to you who are responsible. More than four in ten (42%) confess they've borrowed supplies from a colleague and never returned it. The most popular loot 82 percent of them have taken are pens, pencils or highlighters. 

Behind the Borrowing - 84 percent of those who come clean as to why they've held onto their colleague's goods confess they simply forgot to return the product. Others (26%) say they just didn't think their coworker would miss it. Close to a quarter (23%) take revenge on coworkers saying they chose not to return the supplies because their colleague had done the same to them!

Homeward Bound - This obsessive behavior isn't restricted to the workplace.

In fact, employed Americans are so attached to some office products that close to six in ten (56%) have taken products from work to use at home. 

Always an Excuse - For those who aren't afraid to admit why they did this, they sure have their reasons. Three in ten (30%) say they considered it an act of borrowing and planned to bring the supplies back, while 25 percent just didn't think their employer would miss it. Others admit they pilfered products because it was easier to take the supply from the office then purchase it on their own (27%) or because they didn't have the time to get it outside of work (24%). 

Run and Hide - So it's not surprising that a majority (68%) of working Americans have taken matters into their own hands by finding ways to ensure their favorite provisions don't go missing. Some keep their much-loved office paraphernalia in a special designated drawer (59%) or in a secret space in their work area (45%). Others order additional quantities of certain products to make certain they're never low (51%) or label their supplies with their contact information (31%). More employed women than men (73% vs. 63%) report they've taken steps to ensure their office products don't go missing.

Quality Matters - So why do Americans go to such great lengths to protect their supplies? Perhaps it's because close to half (46%) think that having quality office equipment plays a critical role in being successful on the job. 

Picky Fingers - They are so influenced by their beloved products that 34 percent sometimes bring their own stash to work if what is available doesn't meet their requirements. And there are plenty of goods they need to have at work to perform efficiently. Seventy percent of employed Americans willing to weigh in say it's impossible to work without their favorite brand, type, or model of pens, pencils, or highlighters. Others say they can't work if they aren't able to get their hands on paper products (41%) or printer ink (40%) in their favorite brand, type or model. 

A Few of My Favorite Things. So what makes a product so amazing? Close to seven in ten (69%) say the functionality or performance of an office product can make or break how special they consider it to be. Quality (66%), value (47%), innovation (41%), and aesthetics (25%) also influence why working Americans are so particular about their products.

Other SMB Advice:

Help Keep Your Employees Healthy

WebVisible CEO Kirsten Mangers
Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2010

Award Finalist in Orange County/Desert Cities

IRVINE, Calif (June 3, 2010) – WebVisible (www.webvisible.com) today announced that Kirsten Mangers, CEO, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2010 Award in the Orange County/Desert Cities region.   According to Ernst & Young LLP, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.  Mangers was selected as a finalist from nearly 100 nominations by a panel of independent judges.  Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on Thursday, June 17, at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. 

            "The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in our thousands of local, independent business customers, and the Ernst & Young Award is perhaps the best embodiment of that spirit," said Mangers.  "For that reason, and on behalf of our customers, we're delighted and honored to be considered for this remarkable award."

WebVisible makes it easy for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) to be found online by consumers searching for their products or services – whether they're searching from home, office, car or mobile.  The company's advertising products are powered by its Geneva Technology Platform, which was named 2008 Internet Product of the Year by TechAmerica, formerly the American Electronics Association.  Geneva buys advertising space across a variety of media, so WebVisible's customers get the most effective, local, targeted advertising for their money – whether their goal is to generate foot traffic, website visits or phone calls. 

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 24^th anniversary this year.  The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world. 

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year national program.  Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 13, 2010.  The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.   In Orange County/Desert Cities region, Platinum sponsors include Marsh, Union Bank, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth; Gold sponsors Scherzer International, Strategic Equity Group and the Orange County Business Journal; and Silver sponsors R.R. Donnelley and HKA, Inc.

About WebVisible, Inc.

WebVisible makes it easy for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) to be found online, where and how customers are looking. The leading provider of local online marketing products and services since 2001, WebVisible was among the first to pioneer the use of search as a reliable, measurable avenue to connect directly with a buyer's needs. The company has helped more than 100,000 SMB customers from more than 4,000 industries in 14 countries to create innovative and accountable Internet advertising campaigns.  SMBs partner with WebVisible directly and through its many partner companies, including Intuit, AT&T, British Telecom and The New York Times Company.  WebVisible is based in Irvine, Calif.  For more information, visit www.webvisible.com or call 949-255-9677.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Program

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 135 cities in 50 countries.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited located in the U.S.