Tip of the Week: How to Reduce the Use of Paper in the Office

Paper can be incredibly expensive, especially with the quantity that a normal business goes through every single day. However, not only is it expensive on the monetary side, but also on the environmental side as well. By making some changes around your office, you can be more eco-friendly and budget-friendly by reducing the amount of paper waste your organization suffers from.

Starting Your Paperless Journey
Going paperless will likely be a challenge, but it’s something that can take a considerable cost out of your business’ budget. Here is a simple guide that you can use to implement a comprehensive paperless strategy for your company:

Step 1: Identify Your Current Paper Needs
First, you need to take inventory of how much paper your business is currently using, including any that is used, filed, or stored. You also need to know if there are unnecessary duplicates of these documents, and whether or not they are being disposed of in the long run. Are your filing cabinets filled with countless versions of the same document featuring only minimal changes? Is paper taking up valuable office space that could be put to better use? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can go a long way toward understanding the changes that you need to make relative to your paperless endeavors.

Step 2: Use Available Solutions
Paperwork is such a staple in many organizations that it’s impossible to think about an alternative, but the fact remains that going paperless is just a fancy way of saying that you’re replacing physical documents with a digital alternative. From e-sign capabilities, to document scanning, as well as other advancements in document storage can all be leveraged to make your office less paper-reliant.

Thanks to the cloud and other digital solutions, you can fully eliminate the majority of your business’ physical document storage. Not all files can be stored in this sense, but you’ll find that the vast majority of them make for a much better PDF file than a massive 200 page booklet stuffed into a bulky filing cabinet.

Step 3: Engage Your Employees
Your office is more likely to change if your employees are encouraged to use your digital solutions. Make sure that they are comfortable with using these strategic solutions so that they don’t resist your attempts at introducing them to something that can not only save your business money, but make their lives easier, too. Remember, the goal is a near-seamless transition, not a perfect implementation, as such a thing doesn’t exist.

Does your business want to go paperless? Washington Works can help. To learn more, reach out to us at 301-571-5040.