We all know the feeling – you put that important document down on your desk just a moment ago, but now it is nowhere to be found. Is it in the huge stack of paper in your in-tray? Did someone pick it up my mistake? Did it blow out of the window when you weren’t looking? There’s no doubt that physical documents can be difficult to manage.
But as well as being inconvenient, having huge piles of papers floating around could be harming your business no matter how organised you think you are. Physical documents can go missing or be stolen, which risks them falling into the wrong hands and causing a data breach issue. They can also clog up your processes, slowing everyone down and making your firm less efficient.
You might think the answer is secure filing cabinets and regular audits of your paper trails – but some businesses are taking a more radical approach by becoming entirely digital.
One such firm is Anne Corder Recruitment, which made the decision to go entirely paperless in 2009.
“There have been so many benefits to going paperless, from processing payments quickly, to significantly reducing our stationary and postage costs,” Karen Dykes, a Recuitment Partner at Anne Corder Recruitment told Recruitment Grapevine. “Additionally, operationally we now work more effectively - mundane admin tasks have been reduced and there is no more missing paperwork.
“This benefits staff engagement, by focusing on tasks that are more interesting, you create job satisfaction and time for personal development.”