Companies have different, strange ways of cutting costs.

In this story, an employee works in an office where management decided to cut costs.

So they decided to lock the supply cabinet, and every employee had to ask permission whenever they needed some supplies.

Even something as simple as sticky notes required an explanation, leaving coworkers increasingly reluctant to ask for anything.

Whoa! Seriously? What kind of workplace is this? Let’s take a closer look!

They’re making us ask permission to use basic office supplies

Our office has been going over its monthly supply budget.

So management decided the solution was to lock the supply closet.

Not expensive equipment either. Pens, sticky notes, printer paper, staples, cables, everything.

If you need something now, you have to message our office manager and tell her what you need.

She will physically come over and unlock  it for you.

This employee needed a new pack of sticky notes.

Last Friday, I needed a new pack of sticky notes.

And she asked me what happened to the one I got earlier in the month. I thought she was joking.

Now, people are just avoiding asking for anything because nobody wants to explain why they need a pen or a notebook.

Someone even brought in their own box of pens from home and wrote “unrestricted” on it.

He decided to just watch all day in the office.

Management keeps talking about cutting unnecessary spending.

While paying someone to literally walk across the office and unlock a cabinet every time somebody needs a stapler.

Meanwhile, I just watch Kick all day.

Wow! That sounds strange!

Saving money is one thing, but requiring an office manager to unlock the cabinet for every single supply seems like a strange use of everyone’s time.

The employees avoiding supplies altogether and someone labeling their personal pens “unrestricted” pretty much says everything.

Let’s see how others reacted to this story.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Here’s an honest opinion.

This is a massive red flag, says this one.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who was fired because of a coworkers lies, only to get the chance for revenge years later.

People are saying the same thing.

Finally, another one chimes in.

When basic office supplies become restricted, work becomes unnecessarily inconvenient.