7 Absolute Essentials to Keep at Your Office Job ...

With a mounting workload and high corporate expectations, fewer and fewer employes are using that allotted sick time when they should be. When there are coworkers bitten by the flu bug and hacking up vital organs, hand sanitizer will be one of the essentials to keep at the office that you won’t want to forget. Stopping the spread of germs on shared supplies and common work areas will help keep you healthier longer, and will benefit the rest of the office workforce as well.

Maybe that saucy Italian dish was a poor choice for a rushed lunch hour, because disaster has struck in the form of a big red splotch of marinara on your white blouse. And this is exactly why keeping a beige or black cardigan in the office is such a wonderful idea. Simply treat the stain as best as you can to salvage the shirt when you get home and button up that sweater, girl. Additionally, all stains aside, you know the office can get chilly now and again. Keeping a light cardigan nearby is a double-duty office essential.

If you’ve got that awful churning in your stomach and an important meeting in twenty minutes, you may not have time to make a run to the convenience store. Keep a bottle of Pepto-Bismol or a container of Tums in your desk drawer. Remember the lasagna at lunch? That stain on your shirt might be the least of your problems. Keep whichever over-the-counter digestive aid that you prefer readily available at the office. You’ll thank me later.

Some days at the office can really drain you mentally and physically. And while everyone runs to the coffee machine for a quick caffeine fix, don’t forget the importance of protein. Protein is the main source of fuel for the body. Keep a few protein-rich snacks such as trail mix, fruit and nut bars or shredded beef jerky in the office so that if you feel your body is crashing, you’ll have a healthy dose of energy to boost you back up again.

No matter where you are, from the water cooler to the conference room, don’t get caught without a notepad and pen. You never know when a coworker or manager will cross your path and throw something else your way. Project details, meeting times, new looming deadlines...these can come up in conversation anywhere at any time. And while you may have left your PDA in your purse, you can always count on a handy notepad and pen. Get a notepad small enough to tuck in your pocket and you’ll be ready for anything that comes your way.

We’ve all been there. The dreaded monthly visitor drops by and you’re fresh out of supplies. Fortunately, women can be very understanding of another gal in need. But don’t rely too much upon the kindness of coworkers. Always keep a few tampons or pads in your purse, or cleverly stashed in the bottom of your desk drawer. And if you’d really like to be prepared for the worst, don’t forget the bottle of Pamprin or Midol.

While you’re certainly not required to keep your entire beauty regimen stored in the office, having a small selection of what you would consider essentials can be helpful. The contents of this portable beauty kit will vary from girl to girl, but mine would definitely include a tin of breath mints and floss sticks, a strawberry Chapstick, oil blotting sheets, a foldable hair brush/comb and a travel size anti-humidity hair spray.

What you could consider an essential could very well differ from mine, depending upon your job, your health, the weather, your own beauty routine and even the time of the month. But being prepared could mean less stress during your typical office disaster and a much more productive workday. What do you consider an absolute essential at your office job?