A British human resources magazine reports on a survey of "messy desks" among white collar workers at the link below. Here are some statistics:

1) 36 percent of UK workers are doobies with "organized, clutter-free desks" which they clean off several times a day to enable their rise "up the career ladder."

2) 34 percent are "casual" about their desks. They apparently don't mind keeping them clean, but don't put much of an effort into it either.

3) 21 percent see their desks as a "personal messy space" which serves as an expression of themselves. (One is reminded here of how animals urinate on trees to mark their territory.)

4) 7 percent allow themselves to amass those stereotypical piles of paper and other "stuff" that one sees in cartoons and cinematic depictions of messy desks. 61 percent of this subgroup also have "mouldy food" in their drawers, 38 percent have "faulty stationery" (whatever that is) lying about, and 14 percent "admit to having at least 20 documents on their desk that could be thrown away."

Messy desks can apparently hold you back in some cases, as 15 percent of managers said they would be reluctant to promote a worker who has one, while 50 percent say messy desks don't matter.

"Office Recruitment" from Recruiter Magazine (UK)