Your desk drawer at work is your personal space. If you don’t have your own office, it might be the only place at work you can consider your ‘private space’. Unlike your desk, the things in your drawer can be closed and locked away. It’s the one area at work where you can keep both your work documents and your own personal things. However, there are some things you should make sure you always keep in your desk drawer in case of emergencies. We’re going to talk about 5 of those things and why they’re important today.
1. Deodorant/Body spray. Sometimes when you’re at work on a hot day you might have to run around doing some errands. This can lead to sweat, which leads to body odour. Obviously, this can be very embarrassing if your co-workers notice. You don’t want to be the person the manager has to speak to about an odour problem because of complaints from your co-workers. Therefore, it is always important to keep some form of body spray or preferably deodorizer in your drawer so that you can freshen up in case of emergencies. Similarly, you might want to keep breath mints or chewing gum (especially if you smoke) for the same reasons.
2. Spare supplies. If you can get hold of spare office supplies, keep some in your drawer. This will prevent you from needing to hunt them down when you need them if yours is being borrowed/has broken or gone missing. You could just ask someone else but it’s much more convenient to have them right next to your desk when you need them. This can also be helpful if you have a co-worker who often borrows your supplies but never gives them back.
3. Snacks. Okay, so this one isn’t exactly an ’emergency’ situation but it’s nice to have snacks in your drawer in case you need them. A couple of packets of crisps or a healthy snack bar for energy can be very useful when you find yourself without lunch for the day. For example, one morning you wake up in a hurry because you missed your alarm, no time to grab food and the nearest place to buy some from work is too far away to get back before your lunch hour ends. The snacks in your drawer are your salvation in this situation. Alternatively, you might just get hungry.
4. A charger. If you don’t drive to work and either get a lift home or the bus, it can be a pain when your phone dies. If you’re going to be late getting home or have to go to a meeting or generally need to contact someone about something important, you’ll need your phone. Always keep a spare charger in your desk at work so that you can charge your phone in an emergency (as long as your manager says that it’s okay). This can also count for laptop chargers if you use a laptop at work in case the one you normally use breaks.
5. Reading material. If you like reading, you might want to keep a book or magazine in your desk drawer that you can read on your breaks. This is especially true if you’re shy or introverted and don’t want to spend your lunch hour talking to people, as a book is the perfect way to tell people you’re busy without seeming rude. Generally, it’s always nice to have reading material around for when you’re on your own time at work, just to give you more options for things to do in your own time.
So these are just 5 suggestions for things you should keep in your desk drawer at work to always be prepared. It’s easier to store personal items like this in your drawer than having to carry them around in a bag to work every day, so why not utilise the space you’re given and use it to keep the things you find the most helpful at work? As always, good luck!
