Faxes in 2025? The Absurd Reality of Workplace Inertia and 'How We’ve Always Done It'

Even as we head into 2025, some offices remain trapped in a time warp. Despite the availability of cutting-edge tools, the mantra "we've always done it this way" continues to stifle progress. A recent viral thread on Reddit has brought to light some of the most infuriating examples of organizational stagnation that are as hilarious as they are tragic.

Workplace inertia we've always done it this way: The Analog Paradox

One of the most mind-boggling stories involves a worker named Doris, who received PDF forms via email, printed them twice, scanned them twice, and then saved the digital scans back into two separate folders. This redundant loop occurred simply because the office transitioned to digital without updating its 30-year-old physical filing logic. In another instance, an advertising firm accounting for 25% of global ad spend was found manually walking paper invoices between floors instead of using the built-in digital portals they pay annual fees for.

When Dogma Becomes a Hazard

Stagnation isn't just inefficient; it's dangerous. In the healthcare sector, some doctors still insist on handwritten prescriptions despite the availability of escripts. This refusal to modernize poses a significant risk to patient safety, where a simple smudge can change a dosage from 0.1 mg to 1 mg. Research from the Harvard Business School suggests that managers often associate updates with potential failure, preferring "predictable inefficiency" over the uncertainty of improvement.