The Great Stapler Incident: A Lesson in Bureaucratic Red Tape

January 28, 2022, was a day that will be remembered for generations to come. It was the day that our office stapler, Bertrand, malfunctioned and stapled a crucial report to the conference table, causing a 3-hour delay in the company's quarterly meeting.

As it turns out, the culprit behind the chaos was a rogue piece of paperclip, which had been lodged in Bertrand's staple holder and was causing it to jam. The incident was met with a mix of horror and amusement, as coworkers watched in slow motion as the stapler devoured the report, leaving only a trail of mangled paper and a few scattered staples.

After a thorough investigation, we concluded that the root cause of the incident was a combination of user error and a lack of proper maintenance. We have since implemented new procedures to ensure that our office staplers are regularly serviced and that all employees are educated on proper paperclip handling techniques.

Key Takeaways:

• Always check the staple holder for rogue paperclips
• Regularly service your office staplers
• Never trust a piece of paperclip

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