Personal stuff in the office

[BertyFlanter]

Strange question for you all, but for those that work in offices, what personal possessions do you have at work.
If you had to pack up your desk and leave what would be in your box?
I work in an office and have been the manager for 6 years, if I left today I could pick up my coat and be gone.
In my last job I at least had photos of my kids or spare shoes for a lunch time walk etc. Feels a little odd now I've realised!

Mug shoes coffee penpot

Hardly anything, I’ve never been one for having heaps of personal stuff at work. I think a pair of heels, a mug and maybe a pack of paracetamol?

I had a good clear out after returning from lockdown, because we’d been told to leave after Boris’ announcement and I didn’t go back in until I was back from maternity 15 months later!

Digital assets is different. I do a lot of training and I have a lot of presentations I’ve taken from job to job about the way certain things work - I always make a point of taking these with me when I go (with no work branding on them - they’re my own IP). That would take longer.

A calendar that has a photo of DH and I in it.
A few books on the shelf
A set of speakers I bought for my PC

Lots of pairs of shoes
Shawl
Poncho (the air con gets too cold sometimes)!
Trousers (in case I get caught in the rain)
Tea
Coffee
Reusable coffee cup
Notebook and pen

I don’t work anymore, but on my last day I brought home a leaving gift, a random pen that I particularly liked and my mug from the office teapoint. That was it.

We were strongly encouraged not to leave personal effects at work for security and hotdesk reasons and I just carried my day’s food, san pro, paracetamol etc in my backpack. Never felt I wanted to personalise with photos etc anyway.

A coat, a mug, a water bottle, a mini space heater, a phone charger, a mini fan and some cutlery

A phone charger, poncy salt and decent shoes in case I have to meet a client.

I have hotdesked for 10 years in an office with a clear desk policy. Each office refurb has shrunk our desks and the lockers for our kit.

I only keep the bare essentials: mug, coffee, tissues, sanitiser, tampons, paracetamol, spare bottle of water, jumper, notebook and pens.

I hate it and find it horribly impersonal. We're wfh at the moment and it's no surprise that they have struggled to tempt people back to the office.

A very small tin to fit a few biscuits.

I just had 2 mugs given to me by colleagues as gifts which I wouldn't take home anyway as I like all my crockery to match. And Snacks.

Never kept spare clothes or shoes and lip balm and paracetamol would always be in my handbag.

I always think it's odd in films or tv shows where they say "Clear your desk by the end of the day." Surely it can't take more than 5 mins to dump stuff in a box.

A mug, teabags, lip balm, paracetamol and a few pens. I feel a bit sad now tbh!

I have absolutely nothing personal at work. Oh, I have a phone charger I guess. The rest of the stuff in my drawers is stuff like a notepad and a stapler that belong to work anyway.

My mug and phone charger.

And when I retired I gathered together a load of resources, books and games that I'd bought for my classroom with my own money (many hundreds of pounds worth). My DD is a teacher and I felt that she should have them.

When I did it I had a surprising amount of cardigans in the cupboard. I have a tendency to wear them in on a chilly morning then discard them and forget I wore it until the next cold morning when I'd realise it was still at work and forget about it again........

Other than that just a mug.

I forgot, as well as my previous list I have a fleece and two chargers. And a fridge. I do have an office, though, not just a desk.

Lol, back in day loads. Last 5 years, a biro

For me it wasn’t so much physical possessions as a load of personal stuff on my office computer terminal which I had either to print, email to myself or save onto a memory stick.

Mug, tea, hand cream, plasters, paracetamol, tissues, tampons, scarf I think. I had some cereal bars and a cardigan which I brought home when we started wfh. We have a clear desk policy and hot desking so I’ve never had photos and decorations.

A suitcase - I might be sent out to the Co-op to fill it with bottles of alcohol for a working event in the garden.

Thanks for the replies all. Not sure why it's made me feel sad 🤷🏻‍♀️ at least I'll never have to do the Cummings style walk of shame 😁

In the last job I worked for a company rather than myself I had loads and it filled the boot of my car.
The company went bust and we found out overnight. I was quite senior, had lots of reference books and personal equipment there, site gear (construction) and also specialised adapted chair and computer stuff as I'm disabled. I don't travel light. Now I own my own office so it's much easier.

I used to have a lot of books like a pp and had to bring them home gradually when I changed jobs.

But current jobs is hot desking when we are in the office, so we have lockers and I have a water bottle, mug and notebook and pen in there, along with a pair of boots that I left there just before Omicron hit.

We hot-desk so I have a mug, a cup for water and a pouch with a few bits and bobs (tissues, painkillers, hair clip). I could move out at zero notice