Could office stationery improve workplace well-being? This company says yes

• Key Insight: Discover how analog tools are repurposed to reduce digital overload and improve focus.
• What's at Stake: Persistent screen overload threatens productivity, collaboration and employee mental-health outcomes.
• Supporting Data: Employees spend over 75% of their workday on screens — roughly seven to ten hours.
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

As concerns about digital overload grow, one company is turning to notebooks, planners and pens to improve employee well-being and focus.

The average employee spends more than 75% of their workday on screens, according to online learning platform UniAthena, amounting to roughly seven to 10 hours a day. In an effort to help minimize that level of exposure for employees, merchandise company MOO is building a wellness strategy centered on analog tools like pen and paper to help reduce screen exposure and improve employee well-being and productivity.

"Digital noise was already loud, but it's probably tenfold louder now," says Toby Hextall, head of design at MOO. "By designing really well-crafted physical tools, we can create a healthy and effective alternative to just being in digital spaces."

Read more: Why 'flashy' perks won't keep employees at work

Employees are often onboarded with a laptop and immediately immersed in a digital environment filled with countless communication channels and software platforms, which can quickly become overwhelming. To counter that, MOO launched an analog toolkit for both its own staff and partner organizations, including a lay-flat hardcover notebook, notepad and pen. The company also created a perpetual planner with a clean, undated layout, allowing employees to start using it at any time without wasting pages. Together, the products were intentionally designed as practical, everyday tools people would genuinely want to pick up and use.

MOO's mission also seeks to address employee wellness and engagement challenges tied to an overreliance on digital platforms. More than half of employees say tool fatigue — constant toggling, alerts and redundant systems — negatively affects their work each week, according to research from localization platform Lokalise, with 14% saying it hinders collaboration, 36% citing impacts on their well-being and 26% reporting declines in productivity.

"These are the kinds of details that people really appreciate and eliminates some of the pressure they feel to perform a certain way," Hextall says. "It's really important for managers and leaders to give their employees tools that are a little bit looser and a bit more playful, whether it be a notebook or a planner that almost grounds them in the present." 

Read more: Rethinking technology decisions for employee communications

Return to the basics

MOO's approach was born from the theory that the items people carry and wear in professional settings can subtly influence their mindset and performance. For example, having well-designed physical tools like quality stationary can create a sense of confidence and pride, reinforcing the feeling of being prepared and capable, Hextall says. A good notepad can encourage employees to write down ideas and tasks they need to do that week and display it on their desk right in front of them, which could increase the likelihood of them being used or completed. Pairing those tools with screen-free meetings can also promote more creativity, communication and teamwork among employees.

Hextall said his team has already seen positive feedback from employees, who report less eye strain and welcome relief from the constant stream of messages that often disrupt their focus. He encourages other leaders to follow suit by incorporating analog tools into their workplace wellness strategies.

"As we move forward, the value in truly analog experiences is going to become more important and there's going to be more of them," Hextall says. "The workplace's aesthetic is going to shift and we're going to see more color and more playfulness in those office stationary items."